Since last season, Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty have been nominated for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award. Profile duly elevated, they put on their first runway show, and the collection lived up to the added scrutiny. Prints have been the raison d être of the brand from the beginning. The designers showed off their expertise here, and perhaps dialed back the verve just a bit, juxtaposing as they did black-and-white stripes with painterly wallpaper florals with wavy plaids. No, not all in one outfit, as they might ve done in the not-so-distant past, but over the course of 32 looks.
A fitted sheath in blurred-out watercolor prints with cutouts above the hips vied for best in show with the number that followed, a soft yellow wrap dress with a bird flitting across the bodice. That is, unless you prefer separates, in which case the standout look was a metallic floral tie-neck tank paired with shiny red leather shorts. With prints shaping up to be a big story here in New York, Osterweis and Beatty should see their forward momentum continue. If anything, they could ve played up the color.
