Victor Alfaro (Q3628)
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Victor Alfaro is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Victor Alfaro |
Victor Alfaro is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Victor Alfaro doesn’t believe in talking about clothes too much, nor does he believe in showing them on a runway. He’s soft spoken and to the point when it comes to discussing his beautifully made luxury apparel, but this season, he definitely had more to say. Just look at the words scrolled across the cashmere pullovers and trousers:Hope, Always, Save the Earth, Wish, Love(also spelledLuv), and so on. It’s nothing new, especially this week, but during today’s preview in his serene showroom, it was clear he was passionate about his intent to spread optimism in these trying times. His other aim this time around was to create a universal—not unisex, he doesn’t like that term—wardrobe to be worn by anyone and everyone, interchangeably.He represented this newfound affection for genderless design with a gritty and striking lookbook shoot around the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Though he’s shown his last two collections in Paris, he brought his label home for Fall and underscored that with these photographs. The slogan pieces intermingled with chic knitwear cuffed at the oversize sleeve; crewnecks printed with hearts, peace signs, and doves; wide-leg trouser pants; and Alfaro’s riff on a military coat in light olive green, with gold grommets decorating the pockets and thin rope appliqué on the sleeve. The outerwear felt a little haphazard when shown all together, especially the army-inspired notes against items that used fabric from his interiors line and a Prince of Wales check overcoat with black beading on the collar.Much of the designer’s lineup this season was a major departure and kudos to him for pivoting toward something more street-inspired. Perhaps fewer words and symbols could have been used to get his point across, but it was Alfaro’s personal response to these windswept times and one can’t begrudge him a little change of pace. Next season, however, he’d be right to turn slightly inward again and recognize that his sweet spot is in his gorgeous knits that say so much with their strong simplicity.
15 February 2017
It may not be what excites him the most, butVictor Alfaro’sbest proposition remains the thick, stretchy, ultra-flattering knit trousers that stores can’t keep on the shelf. They are the kind of thing that well-to-do women buy at Barneys New York and wear with impunity all day long, because they bought them at Barneys for a not-ridiculously-expensive price, and they are not Lululemon. Comfort, accessibility, ease: This is a good business model. Where things tend to get trickier is in some of Alfaro’s newly expanded verticals, like outer- and eveningwear, or the places where he tries to combine the two. His best evening offering for Spring was an effortless, paint-splattered-looking jersey gown with picked-out seams, lacelike burn-out florals on the skirt, and a leather half-breastplate (sold separately). This is black-tie perfection for those hoping to go the cooler-than-thou route.Alfaro is at his best when he is at his most uncomplicated: Wide washed-cotton trousers with raw-edged seaming were artfully undone and extremely cool. His knits keep getting better. A new top—inspired by athleticwear and corsetry in equal measure, with mesh shoulders, a curved bodice, and waist-whittling accents—looked like an unsnapped bodysuit and plays right into the current yen for lingerie trends. Strappy drop-waist dresses (the best in that same splatter print) were easy to picture making the transition from summer days to evenings out. Diaphanous frocks in white and black required more thought and multiple, additional layers: leggings and knit undershirts, zip-front or tied vests—both over and under—to secure the underlying figure. That’s the type of thing that can prove a more difficult sell, especially for a season so synonymous with ease.
4 October 2016
First and foremost,Victor Alfarois here to run a business. This collection marks his first Resort outing, a season that he rightly pointed out now makes up about 70 percent of retailers’ budgets. “If you don’t strike a chord with [the buyers], they just shut their wallets,” he said. “They literally just don’t buy it.” So consider this—a dressed-down lineup of decidedly urban-minded separates in funky mixed prints and muted colors—Alfaro’s symphonic debut.This collection felt like definitive progress from the last, which relied mostly on thick, dark outerwear and sensible layered city pieces. Alfaro thought so, too. “I was looking at my market at Barneys, and I was very happy with the clothes, but it looked so precious and so perfect, and maybe when designers get so fixated on making clothes that are perfect they become just ‘occasional,’” he said. Meaning that people either weren’t wearing them or they weren’t buying them, or that nobody was feeling any particular reason to dress up, or at least not Alfaro’s version of “dressed up.”So, casual is the way the wind is blowing. Alfaro provided some nods to the athleisure movement in stretchy knit tank dresses, his sell-out black knit pants, and feather-light mesh tops in prints trimmed with clashing patterns. Denim was processed 11 times until it became pillowcase-soft and boasted a trendy shibori tie-dye or was a sunbaked shade of Nantucket red. Floral jacquards inspired by vintage prints made in his Como, Italy, mills were cut up into covetable little bomber jackets and bathrobe coats, the idea being “like you came to New York and lost your luggage, and so you just shopped your friend’s closet, rather than going to stores,” said the designer. Every trouser had an elastic waist or a drawstring, and all of the jumpsuits had dropped crotches, in order to convey an overarching sense of ease. Alfaro layered chunky cropped knits over cool, narrow black crepe trousers with figure-flattering white accents on the side; they’re not precious, or occasional, or really anything particularly revolutionary, but, as just the kind of pieces that you’re always happy to find in your closet, they made the point, loud and clear.
22 June 2016
By now it’s been well established that the unforgiving make-or-break pace of the fashion industry can be somewhat stifling to the creative process. One way to combat the constant churn of supply and demand? Make like Victor Alfaro and break away. The New York–based designer showed Pre-Fall for the first time this year, but he chose to present his Fall collection in Paris rather than kowtow to the limitations of the New York calendar. He wasn’t there just for the scenery. “We weren’t ready,” he explained at an airy, borrowed atelier. “We needed that extra month.” And by the looks of it, he spent his time wisely.Alfaro took the extra weeks to create a tailored, richly felt collection focused on his coordinated outerwear: tailored vests meant to be worn over light jackets, reversible pieces, et al.—all in a deep, urban-by-way-of-downtown-New York palette. Everything that wasn’t outerwear—trousers that came cropped and wide, box-pleated dresses with dropped waists, slim suede sheaths—was still designed with his toppers (be they suit jackets or patchwork Persian lamb coats) in mind. It was a savvy merchandising move and one that created an opportunity for those keen on statement coats to think outside-in.
17 March 2016
Again and again, the question has come up this season: What is Pre-Fall?Victor Alfarocan officially be added to the list of designers querying the point of the season, which is all-important for brands’ bottom lines, but a head-scratcher as far as figuring out what, between June and September, customers are going to be searching for in stores. Alfaro, for one, has come up with a pretty solid answer. His first Pre-Fall collection was all about layering—essentially, he offered a wardrobe of accessible, trans-seasonal pieces that could be built up or stripped down into looks suitable for all kinds of weather. Even weather—or especially weather—as scrambled as the “winter” New Yorkers happen to be experiencing now.Alfaro’s most clever development was in his outerwear. His washed cotton trench, which disassembles into a cinch-waist gilet and cropped jacket, was a canny reinvention of that staple item, maybe even an instant classic. Retailers would be wise to stock up—those trenches will fly out the door. Ditto the coats and long vests in double-faced cashmere, which Alfaro showed in tonal combinations or mixed up, one on top of the other, to graphic effect.Alfaro is known for his knitwear; this season, he carried forward the statuesque knits he showed for spring, producing them in a fine merino rib. They shared a relaxed yet decidedly grown-up appeal with his pleated culottes and voluminous pants, garments that also paired beautifully with his more summery button-downs, which were cut to an almost hoodie-like shape. The look was understated, but the thoughtfulness of the design came through loud and clear. Indeed, thanks to that thoughtfulness, there was nary a piece here you couldn’t imagine women wearing—and layering—for a long time to come.
18 December 2015
“However I touch things, they always look very polished. I just can’t help it.” So noted comeback kidVictor Alfaroafter his show today, and indeed, the collection he presented proved his point. The greatest part of the appeal of these clothes was their immaculateness, discovered in the perfect body-skimming fit of a bias-cut silk gown or the piping detail on a white cotton jumpsuit or, of course, in any of Alfaro’s signature knits. Of the latter, the most eye-catching pieces were the dressy sweaters embellished with ribbon embroidery or dangling bugle beads, or patchworked together with lace; the items that stuck with you, however, were the ones that summoned a more monumental effect.Alfaro has a talent for the statuesque, which he deployed here in (seemingly) simple silk gowns with graphic windowpane insets, terrific long-line jumpsuits and likewise lean cashmere gilets, and various voluminous pants. Tee-shaped dresses and quilted cargo pants introduced a sportier tone, but they still had a certain Georgia O’Keeffe-wandering-the-New-Mexico-desert vibe, one that was ramified by garments such as a floor-length knit cape. (Ellsworth Kelly, meanwhile, provided the punch of yellow and orange in the collection’s palette.) The aura of self-possession in Alfaro’s clothes will, alongside his knits, remake his name in time—this ’90s wunderkind seems to be taking the long view and making clothes not so much for this, or any particular, moment, but ones built to last.
9 September 2015
As Victor Alfaro fiddled with the hem of a sweater and a pair of knit sweatpants, both in oversize cream wool and mohair, he asked the small crowd of friends and editors gathered at his studio, "What is luxury? It can mean being comfortable," he answered himself. "Or a private parking spot and not having to wait," he added after the presentation.It's clear Alfaro has been grappling with this very notion since returning last year from a decade-long hiatus. But he worked through it beautifully this season with a tight collection of terrific knits, each one more exaggerated, interesting, and wearable than the one that preceded it. Double-faced blue-and-black or blue-and-red color-blocked wool tunics and cropped pants were worn over ribbed leggings; oversize turtleneck dresses nearly hid pajama pants and patent athletic slides beneath; a sleek blue sleeveless jumpsuit managed to have both breathing room and a smart kind of sex appeal. And several women asked if they could wear the Mongolian-trimmed shearling-and-down parkatoday.A sign that Alfaro must be onto something.
11 February 2015
Victor Alfaro was a designer on the rise in the nineties. He picked up the Swarovksi Award for Womenswear (then called the Perry Ellis Award) in 1994, but eventually experienced business setbacks that forced him to shutter his company in 2003. In between then and now, he designed a lifestyle collection for the Bon-Ton department store chain. Last year he relaunched his signature label, selling it to ten specialty boutiques for Spring 2014. The new Fall collection, handbags included, has been picked up by Barneys. Alfaro learned a lot of valuable lessons working in the hinterlands, keeping costs down being chief among them. He reports that he devoted a lot of energy to finding Italian factories that could deliver his products at the prices he wanted. In his new venture, he's opted out of runway shows entirely, preferring to hone the retail viability of his clothes. He's mainly addressing professional women's working wardrobe needs, and he's built a lot of versatility into the Fall pieces, both in terms of the collection's mostly neutral color palette and the many layering possibilities. There's an emphasis on leather, and the key shape is slightly sack-backed—chic but not constricting, and super-easy to wear. A pair of bold, abstract prints based on the designer's own paintings gave the lineup its energy; the green version in particular looked striking on a silk cady sheath dress.Alfaro is thinking big: He says he's planning on adding a contemporary-priced collection within the year and a menswear line not long after that.
23 March 2014
Milan seems to agree with Victor Alfaro. The Mexican-American designer's glamorous collection of on-the-go chic was one of his strongest in seasons.Alfaro opened with a few equestrian looks that included long, tan leather coats, skin-tight jockey pants and flat riding boots, but quickly moved on to more urban ensembles like suede trousers with slouchy optic sweaters, one-strap dresses and three-button suits. But Alfaro really found his groove with the more casual yet absolutely luxurious looks; distressed jeans with a chunky red turtleneck and a sinfully long fur, for example, looked fantastic. So did a huge fur-lined military-olive parka that was both street-smart and lavishly decadent; treat it as an everyday coat, or throw it over one of Alfaro's delicately layered or ruffle-trimmed sexy black dresses. After all, mixing soft, feminine clothes with hard-edged basics is one of the season's key trends.
2 March 2001
Victor Alfaro's collection relied on a flowing, breezy silhouette to create a feeling of retro chic. His 46 looks, all in shades of cappuccino, peach, lilac and blush, alluded to the sensual style of a Concorde-hopper circa 1982: There were delicate georgette wraps, pleated satin dresses and generously cut dolman knit tops. Even the most casual looks— an apricot silk knit tube top, walnut suede shorts and feather-light gauze tunics—exuded this imagined brand of luxury.There is no doubt that Alfaro has considerable talent and can produce stylish, wearable clothes. Still, his collection relied too heavily on references to the past, as if unsure of making a more directional statement.
20 September 2000
Victor Alfaro clearly has one objective in mind when designing: to make women look as glamorous as humanly possible. This time around, his archetypal woman went out to play—mixing and matching leather motorcycle jackets in vibrant colors with easy, chunky knits, sexy crocodile belts and sleek, long slacks. Optical prints, reminiscent of '70s upholstery fabric, looked surprisingly chic in low-slung trousers and long coats; plaid fringed skirts, blush silk jackets and grape chiffon evening dresses screamed for cocktails in Aspen. Overall, it was an eclectic, artfully combined collection that successfully dared to explore a variety of influences.
5 February 2000
Victor Alfaro showed a sexy, elegant collection of styles that would look right at home in the Concorde Lounge at Charles de Gaulle. Supple, deep-brown leather skirts, capri pants and skimpy shorts opened the show, followed by aqua shirt-dresses with plunging necklines. Sand-colored, cashmere-knit hot pants were worn under a cotton trench, and simple, creamy leather pants looked great with slinky embroidered tops. For evening, Alfaro featured lilac chiffon skirts, embroidered silk knit tops and crystal beaded dresses.
15 September 1999