NEW YORK—New York Couture Fashion Week had its winter run in New York City from on February 8-10. Designers from Lebanon, Romania, Kuwait, India, Dominican Republic, Italy, and the USA presented their elaborate and diverse collections of luxury and special occasion gowns, as well as jewelry.
New York Couture Fashion Week was started by Andres Aquino in 2005 with the mission of making couture collections, which usually have limited release, available for viewing and purchase. Unlike other fashion shows, where seats are reserved for the fashion industry professionals and the media, New York Couture Fashion Week is accessible to the public. Couture Fashion Weeks spans three days of runway shows and musical and artistic performances by such musicians as the renowned violinist Alex Markov.
One of the first-time participants of the fashion week was Jean Fares, a couture designer from Lebanon. He presented a colorful and elaborate collection of evening and wedding dresses, entitled "Living Energy". Dresses were generously embellished with beading and lace, and made of natural silk.
Jean Fares said, "I only use natural silks for my gowns, and it's very important for me to follow nature. This collection is for young, energetic, and elegant women from anywhere in the world".
When asked if his daring gowns are received well in the Muslim community, Jean Fares explained, "You know, this is for the show. There are some clients who ordered as is—and these are from the Arab world—and there are some more conservative ones, and they preferred some modifications. We can do that—we can make any modifications, if it is good for the woman."
Apart from being extremely popular in the Middle East, Jean Fares previously presented his collection at fashion shows in Europe and the USA, he has also designed dresses for numerous contestants of beauty contests.
Among the designers returning for the New York Couture Fashion Week is Romanitza—a successful couturier from Romania. A former model, Romanitza opened her fashions house in 1991, and appeared in New York in September of 2007.
Elegant and unconventional, Romanitza's gowns grab the attention of modern women with creative designs and dazzling combinations of fabric.
Performers at the Couture Fashion Week provided excellent entertainment. Especially memorable were the acrobatic tricks of the Aerialduo—with roses, twists and turns, the couple kept the audience mesmerized.
Marissa Marie Wilhelm, of Aerialduo had a chance to see some of the dresses from the runway as well: "They were so beautiful! You know, you go to the stores, and you see the same thing over and over again, and these were just so elegant, and so stunning! Looking at them made me want to be a little girl and play dress up. They were beautiful!"
New York Couture Fashion Week finished its successful run in New York, and left us longing for the summer collections.
 Hint of Brasil: Romanitza's halter dress could show up at parties in Rio. (Dayin Chen/The Epoch Times)
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 Delighting The Damsels: for the ladies with a flair for fine detail and flounce. (Dayin Chen/The Epoch Times)
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