Honor (Q4293)
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Chinese multinational technology company
- Huawei Honor
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Honor |
Chinese multinational technology company |
|
Statements
For Fall, Honor designer Giovanna Randall went into the woods and returned with a collection that read like a fairy tale. The woods were those around her grandmother's Vermont home. The models, meanwhile, really did emerge from a mushroom-covered tree at the end of the runway.These were sweet, innocent, well-crafted, and ultra-feminine clothes that often riffed literally on Randall's motif. Clusters of mushrooms that grow on trees were translated into beaded versions across organza bodices and down chiffon sleeves. In measured doses, it would have been whimsical. Ditto a sitting-deer print that was utterly charming the first few times it was seen, like on the opening black and white wool coat or a velvet jacquard minidress. While the longer gowns suffered from lengths so dramatic they tripped the models, the shorter silk and organza looks with scalloped necklines and winged sleeves were smart and elegant in all white, jewel-tone blue, and tomato red.Randall clearly caters to a particular customer, one who is wildly romantic and unapologetically feminine. And that's great—these clothes were very pretty. But it's also limiting when much of the collection is only appropriate for party and red-carpet dressing.
12 February 2015
Giovanna Randall had no shortage of backstory this season. Postshow, she talked about a wealthy woman, demure and slightly icy, who meets an enigmatic "George Harrison-type" musician and leaves behind her life of order and privilege to follow him down the swingin' rabbit hole. Sadly, he's neither Harrison nor the bohemian bard he seems initially, and Honor's Spring tale takes a turn for the dark as their romance disintegrates.The show opened with a prim little powder blue coat, with scrollwork accents Randall had borrowed from ornate plaster moldings. Those were a recurring motif throughout the collection, and felt pretty heady (borderline busy) in their Technicolor incarnations later in the show, like on a floor-length number in black chiffon. Rainbow penny candy accents were particularly pretty on an array of demure, cream-colored frocks. Randall also made her first use of neoprene, which came embossed with the aforementioned flourishes and was laser cut into airy scallops that trimmed skirts.So what does psychedelic paradise lost look like? A little saccharine. Honor's Resort fare bore all the hallmarks of the brand's doll-like vibe, but in a way that felt sophisticated and easily wearable. For Spring, many of the looks seemed a bit too over-the-top for anywhere other than the red carpet, perhaps sported by the quirky It girls who sat front-row—Zosia Mamet, Tennessee Thomas, and Zoe Kazan. Thanks to the more streamlined pieces, though (such as the penny candy dresses, outerwear, and some stunning jacquards Randall developed), it still made for a worthwhile, wild trip.
4 September 2014
Backstage at her Fall show, Honor designer Giovanna Randall talked about terrariums, drawing her inspiration from an idea of a fragile beauty trapped beneath glass. For the brand's second Resort offering, it was a desert bloom she looked to—and certainly not the scrubby, thorny kind. Despite the arid clime (and a slight Wild West feel), Honor's woman is as lissome and hyper-feminine as ever—and who could blame her, with the array of ladylike shapes and delectable fabrics Randall turns out each season? On offer here were blouses with frothy lace accents and sheeny, pigment-printed organza floor-length skirts dappled with seventies-style flowers. While the palette leaned heavily on cozy neutrals, a few pops of fuchsia, cobalt, and chartreuse felt lush. That Western leitmotif was a subtle one, seen in handsome, leather-trimmed frock coats and bolo ties. An aqua A-line skirt with a clear, embossed overlay brought to mind a snake's shed skin (in the loveliest possible way). Heavily embellished tie-on bibs are sure to take LBDs up a few notches, but for formal dressing, the eveningwear here was a true standout: opulent yet unfussy, and a reminder of Randall's keen eye when it comes to silhouettes.
3 June 2014
Even without delicately wafting "snow," a creepy music box intro tune, and clear plastic stretched taut like a window from which models emerged, you'd have been hard-pressed to miss the inherently eerie beauty of Honor's Fall outing. Then again, the staging didn't hurt. Backstage preshow, designer Giovanna Randall cited terrariums and the idea of lovely things trapped beneath glass. The collection, heavy on sixties baby-doll aesthetics, might have made Mary Quant proud; the mod frocks of William Klein's 1966 culty art flick satireQui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?certainly sprang to mind once or twice. Sporting dresses in dreamy plaid organzas and mikados, Honor's Fall woman is a saucer-eyed, romantic beauty—probably a bit troubled around the edges. It came as no shock that the show's styling was courtesy of Leith Clark, former editor in chief of the gauzily filtered Brit biannualLula. There was a bit of that sensibility here, albeit less sun-bleached; Wednesday Addams' oversize, razor-sharp signature collar made more than one appearance, and swingy little cropped jackets felt surprisingly fresh. About halfway through the show, though, the girl changed. The soundtrack got bigger and brassier, and pastels turned crimson. Swingy frocks went floor-length and gave way to sizable cutouts across the backs that made for bold, appropriately self-possessed exits.Here and there (particularly around pinks and purples), things started to feel a bit saccharine. Sure, pleats can be sweet, but when proposed in the form of a big collar, big hem, and big cuffs on one little bubblegum-hued dress, it'll take a special brand of girl to carry them off. The lone print, a loud-ish rose, also left quite a bit to be desired. But Randall had a lot of dreamy, delightful winners on her hands here. And they said the Manic Pixie Dream Girl was dead….
10 February 2014
"I was thinking about those times you really want to have a countryside picnic—with an attractive gentleman wearing a suit, of course—but it's too chilly outside," said Giovanna Randall of the starting point for her Pre-Fall collection. The Honor designer is known for her ultrafeminine fare, so the looks that felt different here had a slight masculine sensibility, such as a snug cashmere herringbone blazer, a tailored twill tuxedo coat with inset satin lapels, and crisp cotton shirts. "We've been branching out into more tailoring and separates," Randall said. Of course, the lineup also boasted plenty of recognizable, pretty pieces like wispy georgette bow-neck blouses and cocktail-ready satin LBDs scattered with a hint of gold glitter. Inspired by Neri Oxman's metamorphosis studies, Randall created a unique lace that resembled dragonfly wings and used it on miniskirts and the godet panels of a standout evening gown, which also incorporated the wings as a hand-drawn print.
11 December 2013
"This season was about developing my dark edge," Giovanna Randall said backstage before her show, conceding that she's been known in seasons past for her pretty femininity. If there was a darkness here, it registered less as Wednesday Addams (the character Randall name-checked before the show and the obvious inspiration behind the collection's severely pointed collars) and more as another morose anti-heroine: Dickens' Miss Havisham. Where Addams is otherworldly, Miss Havisham is frozen in time, the last girl at a long-forgotten party.The idea of decaying in state could certainly be one interpretation of the laser-cut flowers in paper nylon that crept their way up the sides of shorts and ate into tweed lapels. The mix of materials, like tulle layered over iridescent jacquard, and the use of embroidered lace and sequins created depth. They gave the clothes a handcrafted feel, as if pieces of beautiful flotsam had been assembled into gowns. The prints, a mix of botanicals, interpretations of vintage textiles, and a cool birch bark graphic also served to heighten the clothes' impact. A sheer, sleeveless cropped blouse in neon green with a contrasting collar hovered over a pink-and-burgundy pencil skirt—a look that managed to be both prim and sexy all at once.It wasn'tdarkdark, but Randall did end up somewhere elegant and edgy—a retail sweet spot. And while the runway show may have tried to project an eerie vibe—serious soundtrack, girls emerging from a misty wood—the finale put all bleak thoughts to rest. Hand in hand, the models skipped down the runway, looking positively gleeful.
5 September 2013
Honor designer Giovanna Randall explained that she began her process this season by studying "long and drippy" silhouettes from the early 1900s. The American Impressionist Paul Cornoyer's paintingMadison Square After the Rain,which portrays the park down the street from the brand's headquarters at about the turn of the century, inspired the collection's color scheme and blurred floral prints, which turned up on below-the-knee pencil skirts and a beautiful gown with an unexpected leather detail at the bust. Randall has a demonstrated knack for creating ultra-feminine pieces that incorporate custom, unique fabrications. One cocktail dress that stood away from the body mixed a mirror effect—liquid satin with a textured bubble cloque—and a whisper-pink number was cut from an iridescentfils coupethat gave the impression of a stamped-tin ceiling. Many of the memorable looks featured interesting accordion-pleated skirts that alternated panels of leather with organza. Evening dresses were the clear favorites here. Long white gowns—one with a smocked chiffon capelet shoulder and another with an eyelash-fringed drop-waist skirt—would be terrific options for the modern bride.
4 June 2013
"I didn't feel like doing a heavy Fall collection, and wanted more of a pick-me-up. So this season began with the idea of a celebratory coat that would make me smile even on the darkest day in winter," said Giovanna Randall backstage during her presentation. The topper that started it all came in an acid pink double-faced wool. It had the potential to turn almost any frown upside down, as did most of the other optimistic looks here. Randall worked a heart motif throughout the lineup—just in time for Valentine's Day. A carnation-colored capelet and its matching pencil skirt were embellished with heart-shaped crystals, and a long-sleeved cocktail dress was cut from a "fleur de toro" foiled jacquard. The motif was also incorporated as cutouts on the sleeves of a blouse. Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve. If it all sounds as sweet as candy, that's because it was for the most part, but the Honor woman has never shied away from being overtly feminine. Randall also showed a lovely mint-colored cape coat and a comparatively vampy silk ball skirt in deep plum, which gave those customers who blanch at the thought of wearing head-to-toe pink some other options—because, much like sugar, confections like these should also be used sparingly.
12 February 2013
"I was thinking of the last hurrah of the summer, that final party when there are already leaves floating around in the pool," Giovanna Randall said of her starting point for Honor's pre-fall collection. The designer held up an iconic William Eggleston photograph of an elderly woman smoking a cigarette while sitting on a run-down patio sofa that clashed fantastically with her printed dress. Randall incorporated the offbeat whimsy of that image into her signature feminine aesthetic, sourcing cutting-edge fabrics that updated the traditional floral and leaf motifs she opted to use. A laminated silk gazar trenchcoat, for example, had sleeves constructed from handwoven strips of white patent. Elsewhere, Randall gave a standard lace party frock a high-tech makeover by treating the delicate stuff with silicon, which added structure and shine to the dress. She also showed a clear stamped plastic slicker (a micro-trend for Spring). Bow necks ramped up the girlish appeal of several looks but occasionally seemed unnecessary or cloying. Overall, though, Randall's incredible attention to detail—from her well-crafted clothes to a lookbook shot by Theo Wenner, styled by Kate Young, and featuring models-on-the-rise Louise Parker and Steffi Soede—earns a hearty round of applause.
12 December 2012
Giving birth to her first child earlier this summer got Honor's Giovanna Randall thinking about the phenomenon of the human anatomy (going through labor will do that to a woman) and the "contrast between natural and synthetic worlds," she explained backstage. Her new Spring collection seamlessly fused subtle references to the body with Honor's feminine aesthetic. Randall wove graphic muscle fibers into floral patterns, for example, and added a macramé trim reminiscent of spinal cords to several pieces. But it doesn't take a trip to theBodiesexhibition to grasp the straightforward appeal of these clothes that were, in a word, pretty. Georgette silk blouses with high, ruffled collars gave off a modern Elizabethan vibe, while neon pigment-printed cocktail dresses had ladylike long sleeves and full, bell-shaped skirts. Later in the evening, fashionable Saudi Princess Deena Abdulaziz threw a small dinner party in Honor's honor, and chose to wear one of the hot pink numbers fresh off the runway for the occasion. Talk about a royal celebration.
5 September 2012