Article by Frank Cierpial

This Fashion Week has been an unforgettable experience. For the last five years, Frank in Paris and Frank in New York have been two different Franks. Let’s call them Frank and Franck. This Fashion Week was one of those rare moments where I was both of them as if I were flying between two different dimensions. I would go to school at Montclair State and study French and be Frank and then I would head to Manhattan to cover New York Fashion Week for Prete-Moi Paris and I would become Franck. The Franck that is in New York on business so to say; Erin Barr brings out the Franck in me. She brought it out last Fashion week when I went to her presentation and was riveted by what I saw.

This Fashion Week she brought it out in me when I made her acquaintance and got to give her a quick personal interview. I loved everything I’ve ever seen by her, and I was so curious to pick her fashion designer brain. So, naturally the first question that I would ask is how she knew she wanted to be a designer. She told me that she used to work in hair and makeup and had made a natural progression towards designing.

I then asked if she took inspiration from any one particular designer. She got that look on her face that I get whenever people tell me to choose my favorite Dalida song and told me that she takes inspiration from a variety of designers.

The third and final question that I asked her was is he had ever been to Paris and if so what part was her favorite. The crazy thing was we shared a common favorite Paris activity. She told me that she loved roaming the Tuileries gardens,… as do I with my partner in crime; and after that interview when the lights went down and the models came out, so did Franck.

Last time I saw Erin, she satisfied my craving for that classic beauty 1950’s Marilyn Monroe look; at this show she satisfied my thirst for something quenching, clean and bold with her fantastic shades of green and blue. It all felt very “natural” to me. And, that made sense when I found out that her collection was inspired by nature and the woods. So, after looking at my shots and the photographs that I was provided with, I thought I would share with all of you my favorite pieces from Erin’s fall-winter 2013/14 collection.

This gray printed dress really dazzled me. I love the pattern with its mother-nature-inspired irregularity. The shapes of the prints are not all the same nor are they symmetrical but they fit together with plenty of harmony, which is also true in nature. I also love the superfluous off shoulder straps that offer more to the geometrics of the dress and the line of the silhouette. It is just fabulous.

This next outfit is a light forest green leather top with tapered satin black pants. paired with gloves. This look offers a chic and sober line that allows the shape of the body to fit easily into the geometrics of the cut. I like the idea of a leather shirt as well. Leather is not just for outer wear anymore, and Erin Barr has skillfully added this trend to her repertoire.

This next piece is another green leather cut-out crop-top with a high-waisted black skirt with runching detail and a split up the leg, and an ample over-coat (in wool or cashmere I believe). I really loved this look as it assimilates several different fabrics/materials with a warm and comfortable style that doesn’t forget a little subdued-seduction.

The show had clean lines, cut-outs, zips, slits and geometrics with a palette of black, gray, blue and green. Simple yet elegant. Clear sharp lines, yet a graceful flow of fabrics. I love the femininity in her work.

The whole night after I left Chelsea Piers, I still felt like Franck. The Franck who was able to enjoy New York for the cool, fashionable, and young city that it was, but had his heart in another older more familiar city, Erin Barr was the designer who kicked of my very first fashion week. One can say I suppose that she took my fashion virginity. And, it is because of that (in addidtion to their elegance and creativity) that she and her marvelous collections will always have a place in my heart. Her work helps me to connect with the real me, the “me” that I do not get to see very often anymore so far away from Paris.

Congratulations Erin! It was a fantastic show!