Costello Tagliapietra SS2011

These guys ROCK. They are the Kings of Jersey, not to mention NYC, Brooklyn and points north, south, east and west. The way they handle matte jersey, silk crepe and silk organza in this collection is way beyond the technical ability of many others. This collection was so assured and brilliantly balanced. Color, prints, dresses draped as though from nature; all elements of this picture were so right. A sense of calm drifts like a fog when you look at this collection. There was little that wouldn't look great on every sort of body and age which is so hard to find. I could imagine women wanting these clothes. The mustard dress, at right, is nothing less than a work of art. This is the sort of design that gets me excited about the power of fashion.

Their razor sharp eyes and aesthetic sense are so advanced that they give real meaning to that tired term Modern. Looking at each of these dresses I'm reminded how difficult the craft of dressmaking is. It's one thing to have an idea. It's another thing, altogether, to make that idea a reality minus all the little trips and falls along the way. Fit and quality of make go a very long way. Out of a possible score of 100% these guys would score at least a 97%... it's that exact. With absolutely no surface detail to hide behind each dress was as good head on as it was from the side and back. I admire their imaginations as well as their skill. It's just not something you see from any but the best and oldest in the business.

Experience may not mean much to the fickle stores or press but it screams LOUD and CLEAR when you look at the rookies coming up. Perhaps some of the praise being showered on the Next Wave could be spread to honor designers like these two guys who are an example to the rest. There's a lot to be said for taking one perfectly clear idea and delivering it without going off on unrelated tangents. There's no confusion here. Cool.