Lady Gaga's best friend and upcoming fashion designer Brandon Maxwell has finally released his new collection during New York Fashion Week with the event streamed live on Periscope. Mother Monster has been very supportive of Brandon and showed up at the event wearing one of his dresses, telling fans, "I feel completely honored to be the first person to wear a custom piece from his first collection before it comes out. Love you, baby." They do have a strong connection, don't they? Earlier today Brandon talked to Vogue on what to expect from his debut show. "I've always been attracted to bold women and a bold look," he said. "I'm someone who really loves an energetic woman who has a story and puts on these strong clothes and does wonderful and amazing things."
Originally from Longview, TX, Maxwell has been named a "designer to watch" by Women Wear Daily. In his interview for the magazine, Maxwell confessed he is nervous that he wouldn't be taken seriously, as he had no formal training and is not a designer in the "technical sense."
By the looks of it, he shouldn't have been nervous at all. Simplicity was at its finest at the event. All of the looks were very cohesive, with sexy shoulder pads, beautiful cropped trousers, and loose efficient dresses that worked appropriately with what is in this season. Brandon managed to add a futuristic flare to the clothing- with adding curved layers on the bottom of a cherry blossom pink blouse. The true show-stopper came toward the end of the presentation with a stunning black gown with a huge velvet ball-like formation.
Although Brandon's designs didn't follow the color palette for Spring/Summer 2016, the collection did keep to the seamless innovation that has been speculated this season. "All I really wanted to achieve was the classic, timeless piece that a woman can spend a good amount of money on and that she will wear over time," the young designer says. "That was my goal, and I hope we accomplished that."
Maxwell surely did complete his goal, as his pieces can be worn in the present and in the future. What does Gaga have to say about the collection? According to InStyle, Gaga plans to show off these looks soon. "I can wear them any time, all the time," she insists. "They're for the woman who likes to be dressed well and who likes to enjoy things that are made well, and these clothes are made perfectly, down to every inch of your body. You don't have to worry when you zip it up that it won't hug you in just the right way because he's already decided the shape, and when you put it on, you become a part of that dress."
Brandon told Longview Journal that "if the aesthetic has a foundational influence, it is to be found in Longview in a downtown women's clothing store where his grandmother worked called Riff's." What is so great about this collection is that it is vintage, yet it is new. By the looks of the women in the catwalk it gave the women power, an it gives women more character, as you can tell by how the clothes beautifully fit the models.
Overall, this was a great debut show. Brandon gave us beautiful femme fatale Blazers, dramatic gowns, beautiful trousers, and a bright future for him in the fashion world. We cannot wait to see what Brandon will come up next, and how far he will come!
by Jose Arriaza