Saucy Sassy Sunday...Stephen Burrows

Stephen Burrows - Fall Winter 2011

Using prints, stripes and color, Stephen Burrows delivered a show full of delightful contrasts for this season's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. His Autumn/Winter 2011 collection was revealed at Burrows' paired-down, warehouse-like showroom. Exposed brick and neutral flooring played contrast to brilliantly-colored frocks, exuberant reds and blues were met with asymmetrical black stripes, and dresses made with voluminous, egg-shaped hips were checked by body-conscious waists.

Indeed, it was a show full of spirited paradoxes executed by a veteran using a team of relatively fresh faces.

The playful models (including Pat Cleveland's daughter Anna) turned, smirked and swayed down the runway in such a way that it was clear that these girls were actually having fun. Onlookers even cheered them on as they hammed it up along the U-shaped catwalk. Timothy Priano's hair and make up teams (led by Ben Thipen and Kim Gray, respectively) kept tresses slick and faces simple with the exception of a bold red lip, giving prominence to the drama of the collection.

Burrows' charismatic use of shape and color lent a playfulness to the overall ease of his pieces. He leaned on soft, stretchy fabrics, which have been his signature; and he kept the overall design of many of the clothes somewhat simple, letting his inspiration of "egg shapes, stripes, plaids, and prints combined" come to the forefront.