NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM
At Neiman Marcus Saturday, Cynthia Steffe showed a feminine collection that included a white dress of lace and eyelet.
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Steffe presents a delicate approach to spring season
For the briefest of moments, Cynthia Steffe looks a bit lost, trying to remember just what her Spring/Summer 2006 collection looks like.
You have to forgive the designer. After all, it was a year ago that she created it.
"Right now I'm working on Fall 2007," she said. "The cycle is pretty much one year ahead."
Fashion is not a business for those lacking fortitude and a sixth sense. Predicting what people will want to wear is not a game for the faint of heart --fashion empires have been won and lost in a single season. Steffe thrives on the excitement of creating a line from scratch, except, maybe during Fashion Week itself.
"That's when I'm working every single day of the week and it takes time away from Ava," she said, referring to her daughter, who has become something of a celebrity through her appearances at Steffe's shows, always dressed in mini-me versions of her mom's collections.
NADINE KAM / NKAM@STARBULLETIN.COM
Cynthia Steffe showed a feminine collection that included this silk lavender floral with crochet yoke.
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It was no different on Saturday at Neiman Marcus, when Ava Rose appeared during a show of Steffe's Spring/Summer collection, like an angel in white, the dominant color of the season. On the models, white showed up in crochet separates, delicate knit tank tops accented with crochet details or ruffled hems, cropped jackets, capris and city shorts.
Also shown were tiered skirts and dresses in vibrant red and black. "A lot of women don't think they can wear them, but they're flirty, they're fun and they hide a lot. They're actually easy to wear," said Steffe, wearing one of the black spaghetti-strap ruffled dresses over black leggings and long-sleeve black top, like a dancer.
Steffe moved with ease from last spring's bohemian look, to fall's Russian-inspired collection, to this season's clean, assured elegance, all without losing an ounce of her signature feminine details and touch of whimsy.
"You have to have that signature," she said. Even as seasons bring new trends, "Your taste level can't change."
For her, the start of a collection begins with fabric. Where the layperson would tend to assume fashion design should start with design, she said it's closer to working like an architect.
"If you're working with a certain material, you have to design around the material. From there you start looking at silhouettes. Your eye gravitates to what looks new."
The same time next year, you might see Steffe arriving with shoes and accessories.
"I make the shoes for my runway shows, but they're not for sale. I'm not a shoemaker. We're just starting to think about licensing because I love other categories as well: home, jeans, jewelry, fragrance.
"We've been approached for different categories of merchandise, but we've held out. We want the brand to be very strong before branching out into licensing, and I think the time is right now, especially when working with stores like Neiman Marcus, where customers want the look from head to toe."