Cynthia Steffe (Q2861)
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Cynthia Steffe is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Cynthia Steffe |
Cynthia Steffe is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Shaun Kearney showed his collection for Cynthia Steffe on mannequins at a cocktail party, hoping guests would be better able to take in the beadwork and embroidery they couldn't have seen on the runway (or feel comfortable ogling on an actual model). Handicraft and embellishments were key for Kearney this season, and he worked them through Spring's collection, which took the Steffe girl from safari country to the desert and, finally, to the tropics. Geometric patterns on a hand-braided fringe dress in black and khaki had that tribal edge that's so in right now. Scattered, colorful sequins on a T-shirt dress had a peeling paint effect, turning what could have been fussy into something simply fun. Wide-leg silk pants and a matching tee looked out of place amid the collection's more structured pieces, but by that point Kearney had moved on to warmer climes. A chiffon gown with a beaded waistband wasn't strikingly original, but it would look great next to a drink with an umbrella in it.
11 September 2011
If there's one thing Fall is good for, it's stocking up on statement coats, and there were quite a few options in Shaun Kearney's collection for Cynthia Steffe. A mohair hunter green topper with a capelet collar had a thick band of leather at the hem. And you could imagine a few of the editors sitting front-row sporting a coated canvas parka with voluminous fox fur at the neck and wrists. Beyond the outerwear, the eye gravitated toward a slick leather shift with peplum detail, square-looped sweater jackets, and shimmering, cropped trousers. Metallic leopard-print looks and an allover ruffled dress simply fell short.
12 February 2011
Shaun Kearney had a case of the varsity blues when he designed Spring for Cynthia Steffe. Sporty silhouettes were cut from tech sateen and nylon in all the bright colors of a pep rally poster: turquoise, jade, purple, hot pink. A striped knit poncho looked modern paired with leather track shorts, and a belted linen jacket-dress could be layered any which way. These kinds of easy pieces are what make the label a no-brainer for a customer who wants to look pulled together but not uptight. At times, things got a little disjointed, with an excess of ruffled tiers and ill-fitting jumpsuits. But the brand base is broad, and Kearney knows that offering a little something for everyone isn't a bad strategy come market week.
12 September 2010
In the two years since Shaun Kearney's been at the creative helm of Cynthia Steffe, several of the country's biggest retailers have renewed their previously dormant accounts. What is he doing right? Absorbing elements of street style—like the girls he spotted in Williamsburg mixing fatigue jackets with ruffles and tweed—and turning out modern looks that add a touch of edge to the brand's sweet silhouettes. For Fall, he showed slouchy-skinny Donegal pants, cropped sweaters paired with tiny pleated skirts, and a standout Mongolian curly lamb vest. Although the show dragged at times with one too many takes on the schoolgirl motif, Kearney ended on a high note by showing a short, distressed-sequin dress with an oversize, fur-trimmed moleskin parka. It's not groundbreaking, but the classics-with-a-twist approach should have wide appeal.
11 February 2010
Third time's the charm for Shaun Kearney at Cynthia Steffe. After a sophomore effort that was too dark for the brand's core customer, the creative director hit his stride with a Spring collection that brilliantly married the Steffe girl's propensity for sweetly feminine looks with the modern mix-it-up sensibility favored by cool chicks like Alexa Chung. "It's no longer about the head-to-toe look," Kearney reasoned. "Today's woman wants to take a little from here, a little from there, and make it her own." And there was plenty to grab: a washed cotton-linen boyfriend blazer, an airy suede utility vest, and a sexy mini bedecked in swishy pearl beads. Ruffles played a key role (this is Cynthia Steffe, after all), and though elaborate folds on blouses and skirts were frankly a bit clownish, flirty frocks with cascading lapels felt just right.
10 September 2009
Shaun Kearney was looking for a harder edge. How else to explain the surfeit of leather with an inexpensive luster that overwhelmed this collection? Poor fabric choices, plus an abundance of ruching on dresses and skirts, resulted in a less than sophisticated offering. Kearney would have done well to do more with better, more basic fabrics. An oversize mohair sweater looked downright comfy, and a silk-chiffon blouse with a peacock print would pair nicely with a suit. But the few embellished items that did succeed (a knee-length dark gold paillette skirt comes to mind) were mostly lost.
16 February 2009
Well priced and sweetly sophisticated has proven to be a profitable formula for Cynthia Steffe over the years, netting the label a diverse following and an impressive global distribution. Shaun Kearney took the design reins recently and, true to the brand's populist roots, today he offered something for most every girl, from sporty separates in techy lacquered raffia and high-gloss sateen to flirty crepe de chine dressed with smocked waists. Splashed on blouses and skirts, two prints played well off one another: a wallpaper floral in scarlet and aquamarine and a hypermodern stenciled lace. All told, Kearney's nicely balanced inaugural collection was a worthy first.
8 September 2008