New York Fashion Week '05: Jasmin Shokrian
It’s been a steady stream of firsts for 31-year-old designer Jasmin Shokrian, the latest being her first runway show. After winning $25,000 and the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award, presented by a foundation established in 2001 to recognize and support the careers of cutting-edge emerging fashion designers, Shokrian presented her Fall/Winter collection on Feb. 5 during New York Fashion Week at an intimate Chelsea photo studio.
Sticking to a subtle, mostly solid palette of black, charcoal, chocolate and beige, with a few shots of pretty color, Shokrian’s taste for art, especially sculpture, and the avant-garde never looked better. The designer featured sculpted wool crepe dresses, skirts and jackets with pleated, gathered and pinched details. She paired them with silky charmeuse or chiffon tees in ice blue, putty and ecru or with draped jersey tops, displaying equal parts conceptual clothing and wearability. Shokrian’s wool capes were a favorite. A black-andwhite optic-weave wool cape and another waffle-like bronze metallic “Comfort Cape” were especially pleasing and looked perfectly put together with pleated skirts.
There were a few charmeuse “Egg Skirts” that looked as though they might have been a bit challenging to walk freely in, but overall the collection proved that an artist like Shokrian will ultimately stay true to her craft. —Joselle Yokogawa
