Fashion Next Designers Celebrated at W Times Square with Music by Alexandra Richards

Michael Angel

"For fall 2011, is a very exciting time for us," says Angel, who left his native Australia nine years ago for New York. "I will not be doing a runway show this season, I will be doing appointments only for buyers and editors. My main concern is to focus on who my woman is. My woman is definitely a New Yorker in her thirties who thinks outside the box. She likes looking beautiful and looking chic. She has a very minimalist aesthetic."

"What makes me different than other designers is that I do print designs," says Angel, a self-taught designer who has been a stylist and a graphic print designer. "It is very interesting to take that minimalism and put prints on top of it it. I am using more earthy tones. I am moving away from jewel tones. I am making her a little bit more dirty---we are going more organic and we are giving her more of an evolved wardrobe. We really want to start to see what else there is in the wardrobe besides a great dress---we want separates."

"I like the idea of her becoming very comfortable with who she is and what she is wearing," adds Angel. "The idea of comfort and luxury is very important to me this season. We are using a variation of silks, take the traditional pea coat and reinvent it. We are taking an iconic garment and revisiting it. We will be using a lot crushed linens and silks. We are using fabrics that feel like you've worn them before."

"This is my eighth season," says Angel. "I have been very small and we have grown organically. I have always wanted this label to grow slowly. We haven't been screaming from the rooftops."

Michael Angel's collection is sold exclusively at Louis Boston and at the Wynn Resorts in Vegas. Joyce, Milan.

Tess Giberson
"My fall collection is about collage," says the designer who is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. "I play with a lot of textures and juxtaposing materials and textures. I take things that are hand crocheted and play around with these contrasting materials. I take garments apart and reassemble them."

"I always like to think about an idea, which I break down to the definition," adds Giberson. "Then I apply that to the collection. It is more interesting to design that way. I think about several stories. There is a grouping about suitings. I took a classic suit and broke it apart. I shredded the wool and then reassembled it. I took a trouser, sliced it and put it on the jacket. There are a lot of hand knits in the collection. I took a sweater, cut it into pieces then put it back together, then turned it into a hand knit."

"I used a range of blacks, greys and neutrals and a strong red that I worked into it," says Giberson. "I love using color in a specific way. There is not a huge color assortment. I like to have one really strong color each season. There is a lot of layering with an idea of collage. I layered silks, fur and leather into the looks."

"There are several groups that really show the concepts," she adds. "Still, there will be some surprises. People will be happily surprised when they see the Fall Collection."

Tess Giberson's collection is available at Barneys New York, Intermix in New York and Ron Herman in California. Giberson will be opening her own boutique in March on Crosby Street in New York.

Mandy Coon
"My style is artful yet playful," says the Texas native and FIT graduate. "I never want it to be too serious, although it is quite dark. I do a lot of mixing with different textures, chiffon's and leathers. The collection has a lot of black with a few punches of color. My inspiration was an old photo of my family in 1981. My mom looked so chic and amazing."

"This is my fourth season," adds the 34 year old designer who is based in New York. "It is my first time at Lincoln Center."

Mandy Coon's collection is available in New York at Opening Ceremony, Assembly and Eva. In Paris, it can be found at Colette and at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.