Everyone knows their Marcs from their Calvins. But as fashion month kicks into gear, we’ll be spotlighting the up-and-coming designers and indie brand.Label: Houghton, designed by Katharine Polk

Need to know: Imbuing Katharine Hepburn's unfettered spirit has been Houghton's calling card ever since the brand launched last year. Deceptively easy yet feminine, Houghton's wares quickly earned fresh-faced celebrity fans, including Lucy Hale, Selena Gomez, and Dascha Polanco.

Stylist-cum-designer Katharine Polk extolls the value of simple, effortless dressing with Spring '14, taking cues from a recent trip to Miami. She confessed to having sketched the entire collection poolside. Pleated tunics and basketweave dresses (each handwoven and crafted using as many as a hundred strips) recalled lounge chairs and the swaying of palm trees. Elsewhere, there were drop-waist dresses and jumpers in a minimal palette of gray, mint, white, and black. Embroidery with gold threading, which appeared on everything from bikini tops to the collaborative Birkenstock sandals, was a nice punctuation. But it was the onslaught of shimmery chiffon gowns, which, catching hold of the Hudson River wind from the catwalk of the Standard Hotel's balcony, really succeeded in bringing Miami to New York.

She says: "I always describe her [Houghton girl] as a 'tomboy in a gown,' " said Polk. She then added, "She's someone who really appreciates fashion and quality—she'll wear the gown, but wear it with flats."
POST: 2024-11-24