Thuy (pronounced Thwee) Diep was born in Vietnam to a family of tailors. She studied at the famed Parsons School of Design, but not before getting her degree at Brown University. Thuy's entrepreneurial spirit combined with a knack for design led her to launch her line back in 2006.
Colors: Cream, Orange, Yellow
Materials: silk dupioni, silk, cotton, sequins
Loved Looks
Thuys looks were a combination of hip and vintage. Many reminded me of 1920's sportswear. Women who would wear this collection are looking for dresses that aren't too off the wall, but are not run of the mill. This is where Thuy's strengths lie. She can take an ordinary skirt, add some raffia-like detail and it becomes a more stylish piece. With her use of separates in many looks, many of these pieces can stand alone in any woman's closet. Her jewel toned sequin floral dress and tank is great for the younger, more contemporary crowd.
Unloved Looks
The perforated cotton pieces: shirts, skirts, dresses, tended to look repetitious. Though the pieces varied, the fabric did not. Some of the color-block body conscious dress reminded me of early Proenza Schouler. While it shows Thuy has great technical skills, its hard for any designer to do anything remotely similar due to the immense success Proenza for Target dress and the runway version.
Music
It was a girl anthem soundtrack with a cover of David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes by Warpaint, Contact by Brigitte Bardot and Here Sometimes by Blonde Redhead.
People and Scene
The show was held at the Audi car showroom on Park Avenue. I have to say it, this venue was fug. Between the portable trade show curtains and the mechanical car part posters, it looked like, well, a car showroom. I'm not sure what the correlation is between car sales and fashion. Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and now Audi? New York City has an efficient public transportation system for us market editor/assistant/bloggers who can't afford a car, let alone luxury cars. That said, kudos to the seating arrangements. There were bleachers for standing tickets and plenty of benches for all who attended to see the collection without having to strain.
To Gift or Not to Gift: There were Audi brochures laying around if anyone was interested.
