Twinkle By Wenlan Fall 2010 Fashion Show

Runway Review: Dark fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel were the designer’s inspiration for fall

Wenlan Chia’s well-deserved claim to fame is the sweater knit and it is the element that has anchored her Twinkle line for a decade. She designs easy girly party dresses and soft separates that complement and never compete with her iconic knitted creations.

For Fall 2010 she noted that her point of departure for were ‘dark fairy tales" like Hansel and Gretel. And while her designs lacked the spooky menace of the tale as I know it, they did possess something of the innocence and naivete that led the wayward duo astray.

Twinkle By Wenlan Fall 2010 Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Twinkle By Wenlan Fall 2010 Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

For instance, there was a pinafore dress with piped patch pockets that recalled school uniforms , a happy dandelion yellow textured silk baby-doll dress with a delicate lace collar, a-line tunics with matching skinnies and paneled sleeveless party dresses in a toile print that resembled a lacy, pencil scribbled forest-scape.

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Twinkle By Wenlan Fall 2010

Twinkle By Wenlan Fall 2010

Some of the color and texture combinations were a bit less young that one would associate with Hansel & Gretel- a bright white knit sleeveless cowlneck sweater tucked into shiny green/brown pleated dhotis added decades. Jewel embellishments around the neck and fussy styling with scarves and belts felt older than what I would think for fairy tale inspiration. It was more of a big girl’s take on a kid’s spooky classic.

Her strongest pieces were knit iterations of classic silhouettes – a portrait collar swing style sweater coat with button tab details and a low slung take on the motorcycle jacket, with squared-off asymmetrical lapels and semi-circle pouch pockets and elongated hood – done in a tweedy, charcoal marl knit. –Andrea Perini, VagabondNYC

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