With so many young brands getting added to the New York fashion week calendar each season, it's often difficult for up-and-comers to stand out. Chris Gelinas is an exception. After cutting his teeth at Balenciaga, Proenza Schouler, Marc Jacobs, and Theyskens' Theory, the Parsons-trained talent launched his womenswear range, CG, with a small presentation last September. His impressive debut won him the Made for Peroni Young Designer Award—an accolade that comes with $40,000 in prize money and a guaranteed slot in Made's NYFW lineup. Which brings us to Gelinas' Fall '14 outing.
The designer couldn't have found a more fitting space than the Standard hotel's mid-century-styled, wood-paneled High Line Room to show his retro-futuristic, space-race-inspired lineup. Dubbed And Time Stood Still, the collection considered traditions we use to preserve fleeting moments—for instance, all the models wore silver-plated chunky heels or brogues, a riff on bronzed baby booties—and showcased Gelinas' deft skills in construction and textile innovation. A spongy mono-spacer fabric (in September Gelinas told us it was "the new neoprene") was turned into a structured but airy sheer evening gown; the model wearing it looked like some kind of space-age angel. This same material was used for a pair of thoroughly modern screen-printed sweatshirts, one of which was nipped at the front to create a rippling peplum.
Other interesting elements included laser-cut neoprene boning, seen on a beautifully engineered corset top, and a hand-tucked accordion organza detail, which appeared on the back bodice of what Gelinas is calling his signature dress: a short, slim-fit number that he showed over pants. His outerwear—namely, a geometric cocoon techno-wool jacket with rose-gold zippers, and a convertible brushed-mohair parka trimmed in Finnish raccoon—was particularly strong. Same goes for the sporty peach suit, which felt youthful with its boxy silk twill jacket and matching cropped trousers. A pair of ruched track pants, however, stuck out as being too fussy against Gelinas' otherwise streamlined silhouettes, and some styling details, like a nunnish collar draped over a black cotton dress, were distracting.
Even so, this was a more than solid sophom*ore effort filled with wearable, forward-thinking separates. (Gelinas said the CG woman likes to mix it up and isn't a "full-look kind of girl.") Considering he was just short-listed for the hypercompetitive new LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize, we expect to be seeing more of this designer very soon.
