This season, designers Mara Hoffman and Klee Van Schoonhoven of Mara Hoffman introduced bold hues and patterns back into our wardrobe for spring. The Mara Hoffman collection enviably showed that the duo behind the line is exceedingly gifted. Each piece involved arts and crafts- handmade embellishments from thick braiding to net-like mesh weaving. There were whimsical prints on flowy silk jersey in every color imaginable. The duo is well known for their flirty dresses, but we were absolutely besides ourselves when their more structured separates came down the runway. One of our favorite pieces would be the cream jacket with an open back panel covered in thin, horizontal strips of fabric that met in the middle to form a thick braid, that jacket was not only wearable but chic and couture.
Mara Hoffman has evolved from collections featuring hand-dyed couture pieces to her current collections which concentrate heavily on original silk prints. Hoffman and Van Schoonhoven pulled the majority of their inspiration from nature and world travel. The prints were tribal and Tahitian inspired with a hint of 80’s coloring that had the audience nodding their heads in approval.
Low, open-backed silhouettes, exaggerated weaving and elongated halter ties were an interesting take on how to drape the human canvas. Soft draping was a unifying trend seen throughout many of the spring/summer 2010 collections- not the case at Mara Hoffman. The design house took a refreshing look on spring and decided to take a different route with both loose fitted and structured pieces. This seasons Mara Hoffman show was the epitome of spring 2010.
