Charlotte Ronson (Q2736)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Charlotte Ronson is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Charlotte Ronson |
Charlotte Ronson is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
As a seasoned designer and girl-about-town, Charlotte Ronson has built up a fan base of celebrities, bloggers, and models that makes for buzzy Lincoln Center presentations. But she also appeals to a more humble market via her long-standing partnership with JC Penney. Straddling both worlds can be tricky, but in Ronson's case it's helped her to develop the labels independently. Designing for JC Penney "puts a lot in perspective, being able to do really great products at an affordable price," she said. "The contemporary market is a lot smaller, and we're producing everything in New York now. It makes it more expensive, so you really have to think about what you're putting out there."For Fall, Ronson was inspired by nature balanced with clean, '60s-inspired sportswear. Dark, moody florals and olive culottes fit the bill, but it was hard to suss out the thought process behind many of the looks. A ribbed khaki sweaterdress with matching tights would be difficult to pull off in real life, and a pair of sheer trousers had a strange fit. The collection did feel a little more grown-up, devoid of the Teva sandals and flower appliqués the designer has shown in the past. But aren't playful prints and silhouettes Ronson's special sauce? Her customers will snap up the glittering hunter green sequin dress and pastel coats, but otherwise they may feel a little let down.
14 February 2015
Charlotte Ronson was inspired by art this season. Anything more specific would only be speculation, thanks to the rock show-like spectacles the designer favors when presenting her clothes. It's a tall order to hear the designer or discern the fabric of a dress when a sea of bloggers, iPhone photographers, and even a few members of the media are all jockeying to get near the garments. Tonight they were presented on models in a velvet-roped corral—a nod to museums and the aforementioned art theme—that was particularly inconducive to appreciating the clothes. That's to say nothing of the equally circus-like photo ops for guests like formerThe Hillsstar Whitney Port just a stone's throw away. It's too bad, as some of the looks here were a step forward for Ronson. Silhouettes felt more sophisticated on items like boxy tees and a perforated scuba jumper with sheer paneling. Ronson's signature strappy sundresses were present, too, and there was a ratio of sweet to sporty that the brand's customer will no doubt appreciate, but clothes felt merely incidental to the spectacle here.
6 September 2014
To expect particularly challenging styles from Charlotte Ronson's eponymous line seems unreasonable. Ronson makes pretty, feminine clothes that are wearable, and would look right at home on the fields at Coachella, or in a hipper-than-average workplace. No matter the hue, they seem to smack of a generally sunny disposition. So has new ground been broken with her Fall offering? Nope, and that's all right, by and large. Ronson's pieces have earned her a strong fan base (both celebrity and non), a collaboration with Uniqlo, and two diffusion lines with mass-market retailers (Urban Outfitters and JCPenney). Why mess with success?Taking off on the idea of a dark fairy-tale romance, the CR heroine got to swan about in lots of leather, velvet, and black for Fall. But the two floral prints—one a velvet spattered in poppies, the other a Technicolor rosebush pattern—fell flat, and the former felt even a bit down-market when seen in a skimpy, strappy dress, like someAmerican Idol–ized shorthand for bohemia. The collection's high points were many of the simplest pieces: a soigné black sheath with a sheer neckline and pussycat bow; a fit-and-flare black leather dress with a laser-cut skirt, which moved wonderfully; rich garnet velvet trousers; a black maxi gown with beautiful lace overlay. While surely there are customers out there who would be keen to see Ronson push the aesthetic envelope a tad, all told it was a collection that should serve to continue her career momentum.
6 February 2014
Backstage at Charlotte Ronson, the designer described her girl: "She's a Parisian in New York. She's studious and intellectual, but she likes to have fun. The dresses are sweet, but you can see the body underneath." Feminine with a tomboy twist is a Ronson specialty—she has a knack for keeping things on the cool side of pretty—and the result is always lighthearted (the Ronson girl is the one who made high school look easy). So Ronson's brainy beauties got glasses and nameplate necklaces that spelled out "Bookworm"—along with "Gamine" and "Tomboy"—to wear with their seersucker gingham dresses, eyelet tops, and Peter Pan collars. But, as the designer promised, it wasn't all study sessions. That eyelet top came cropped, and the seersucker dress had an open back. Cutouts were a recurring theme, and the graphic black-and-white cherry print had a cheeky edge. The white leather dress Ronson wore zipped apart completely at the midriff, leaving a standalone top, or, if you kept it attached, the option to expose as much skin as desired; it looked great on the designer as well as on the model who wore it. Ronson found her groove this season. The mood was refreshingly low-key, the muse charming, and the pieces special.
6 September 2013
Charlotte Ronson is somewhat of a poster girl for the nineties grunge revival, so it was refreshing to see her move away from that for Fall 2013. "I was inspired by my English heritage," said the designer, who showed tweedy schoolgirl and mod tomboy styles.The combination worked. The mixed tartan dress and matching motorcycle jacket, fancied up with green leather trimming on the lapels and at the wrists, looked sharp but cool. A cropped turtleneck and matching A-line mini turned sweet but not saccharine with the addition of a subtle black-and-white diamond print. As Ronson moved further into mod, the tweeds, plaids, and florals were replaced with strong solid colors. A purple leather bomber stood out, as did a mauve pantsuit with a magenta lapel, although the matching magenta gloves were a little too much.Ronson chose a presentation format, despite the popularity of her runway show. (Celebrity friends and the cool-kids crowd always make a point of being there.) But she believed more editors and buyers would be able to get a better sense of the clothes if they could take their time looking at them. "I wanted to make it easy, so that they could actually see the collection," she said.With the models standing in a row on a riser, their outfits arranged monochromatically, it couldn't have looked better. For a contemporary designer, a presentation just makes more sense. It's also more economical, which is never a bad thing, no matter how many stores carry your line. We hope even more follow in Ronson's suit.
7 February 2013
Backstage before her show, Charlotte Ronson attributed her golden glow to the sunny shade of the dress she was wearing—look 15 from the runway lineup—and said that water had been her main source of inspiration for Spring. That yellow hue was part of a palette that began with the ocean's blues and greens and expanded to include the reflection of sun on the water. There were florals, too (it would be hard to imagine a Charlotte Ronson show without them), but a painterly print of the ocean and horizon looked great worn on a sheer tee and short shorts. As for the silhouette, Ronson looked to the strength of waves to inform a somewhat sexier shape than usual. Waists were nipped in or revealed entirely, and mesh cutouts drew attention to the shoulders. High-waisted sailor shorts were fittingly nautical, while an ivory pair in embroidered organza also had the girlish quality that's key to this collection's appeal. Less successful was a tight, color-blocked minidress; it looked like it was trying too hard to be tempting. Ronson would do well to continue developing her feminine point of view. The sporty ease of many of her pieces—like this season's great track jackets—keeps her soft sensibility from getting too sweet.
7 September 2012
Continuing last season's evolution, a move toward a cleaner, more refined aesthetic, Ronson sharpened her silhouettes for Fall and steered clear of grunge. Waists were accentuated with slender belts, and pert collars peeked out from beneath dresses and tops. (The collars were actually part of backless dickies, a clever way to add a touch of schoolgirl to a look without the added bulk of a button-down.)Another ladylike touch came courtesy of the accessories. Bags, a new addition this season, were paired with complementary hats and gloves for a complete, chic set. There were still those sheer, breezy dresses in bohemian prints (a Ronson staple) but they looked fresh and sophisticated alongside the charming knits and proper pencil skirts. "I wanted to design a modern wardrobe for a real girl," Ronson said before her show. Mission accomplished.
9 February 2012
Backstage before her show, in between photo ops with Kelly Osbourne and a hug from her mom, Charlotte Ronson parsed this season's collection. "It's a little fancier, dressier… a little more lady," she said, after explaining that elements as diverse as Victorian detailing and seventies bohemianism contributed to the overall feel. Covered buttons and lace were part of the Victorian effect, while patchworked jeans and crochet crop tops were undeniably boho. A clutch of neat floral prints, one lined up neatly on a sheer blouse, added a prairie component to the mix, but the collection's easy silhouette and muted palette (save for a few pops of orange) kept everything tied together. A sheer tank with an asymmetrical hem looked great in a subtle ombré, but on dresses already adorned with sequins and fringe that same technique felt busy. Still, there was a sweet femininity here that felt new. Next time, it wouldn't hurt to excise a few extras.
9 September 2011
Charlotte Ronson found a sweet balance between the two periods that have been driving her lately—the grungy mid-nineties on the one hand, and the vagabond, groovy seventies on the other. Last season's watch caps made a repeat appearance, but this time they were countered by fringe-laden suede carryalls. Pants had a bell-bottom flare; worn with chunky, oversize grandpa cardigans in mustard and olive green—cozy enough to double as outerwear—they looked anything but dated. A few silk skirts and dresses, flirty and floral, had an insouciant sexiness. Paired with waffle-knit Henleys they achieved Ronson's goal, stated backstage before the show, of keeping things "feminine, but nottoofeminine."
11 February 2011
Paging Claire Danes. Paging Claire Danes.Angela Chase, the actress' alter ego onMy So-Called Lifeback in the nineties, was the unofficial muse of Charlotte Ronson's ode to that decade. "It's about dressing down, but in a romantic way," Ronson said before the show, which featured slipdresses, watch caps, and plaid shirts tied low across the waist. "It's a little grungy, but feminine."Slouchy sweatshirts and hoodies looked good tossed over long sheer dresses; a structured stretch-twill army jacket in inky navy (instead of standard-issue green) stood out among all the wispy separates; and one open-back dress in twill and jersey exposed more than just the collarbone. Naturally, there were combat boots and scrunchy socks, the models wore nose rings, and sister Samantha played a soundtrack that smacked of teen spirit. As bang-on-trend nineties as it was, it still had plenty of wear-now pieces. And it definitely would have had the slacker boys at Liberty High taking another look.
10 September 2010
The full-time traveler was on Charlotte Ronson's mind for Fall, but not the business-class type. Hers was a peripatetic seventies gypsy, too busy seeing the world to get caught up in the Studio 54 thing. The overall mood was of fluid, thrown-together sexiness. Vagabond wear included long pleated skirts in raspberry, rust, and floral prints; they looked great with belted tunics and hammered-silk tanks. An army green utility cape and a gray cocoon jacket added a dose of functionalism, while a sheer black lace blouse was pure form. We could have done without the shiny harem pants that joined the caravan, but—playful turbans and all—it was an eclectic mix that worked.
11 February 2010
Things got off to a bad start at Charlotte Ronson: Chaotic planning meant that frenzied editors arriving late from earlier shows found themselves without a seat. For those who did manage to snag a spot, though, Ronson's off-duty-dancer wares turned out to be a welcome respite from the gloomy weather outside (as were sis Sam's upbeat tracks). Off-the-shoulder crop tops, acid-wash bodysuits, and powder-pink mesh leggings should surely please the designer's fun-loving fans. It wasn't all tutus and tulle, though. As Ronson put it, "It's classical meets street"—meaning these ballerinas are downtown girls, sporting bleach-splattered army jackets and leather utility vests.
10 September 2009
"Art Deco" and "wartime dressing" were a couple of the reference points Charlotte Ronson threw around backstage before her Fall 2009 show, but there were plenty of leather and studs to keep things current. Less girly than past efforts, today's collection hit its stride with pantsuits and body-con minidresses featuring strong eighties shoulders and a slim silhouette. Though some details felt out of place (cutout elbows and slashed sleeves were said to be a nod to rationed fabrics during World War II), it's doubtful the Ronson girl—including sisters Annabelle and Samantha, who lent their modeling and DJ skills to today's production—is too hung up on historical accuracy.
12 February 2009