FASHION : The Ones to Watch
As New York designers prepare for opening day of the spring ready-to-wear shows on Monday, three names stand out. Charlotte Neuville has replaced the late Perry Ellis as the darling of the yuppie set for playful sportswear with pop-Pilgrim overtones. Christian Francis Roth is causing waves with his couture-quality collections--quite an accomplishment for a 20-year-old designer. His fashions are filled with wit and whimsy. Then, there is Carolyne Roehm, fashion maker, social gadfly and wife of New York financier Henry Kravis, with whom she shares a Fifth Avenue apartment. Her private life inspires her glamorous collections. The Designer: Charlotte Neuville The Clothes: “Twisted classics” in unexpected fabric combinations, such as a lace car coat over a metallic skirt and tailored lace-trimmed white shirt. I. Magnin and ModaSport carry her label. Where She’s Been: Raised in Sausolito, Calif., and apprenticed under the late Perry Ellis, Neuville launched her label after teaming up with Ken Merlo, both in business and in life. The partners are married and expecting their first child. Where She’s Going: After three years in business, 38-year-old Neuville has been profiled in Vogue and seen her name on Womens Wear Daily’s “new suspects” list. The “old suspects” are household names like Calvin, Bill and Ralph. She expects business to top the $7-million mark this year. The Designer: Christian Francis Roth The Clothes: The “school girl” dress for spring has a school of fish appliqued on it to wear with a fishnet shawl. Roth’s fall collection, his first, featured the elevator jacket with buttons numbered to look like elevator buttons, including one marked “L” for lobby. Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman are among stores that carry his label. Where He’s Been: New York-born Roth apprenticed with designer Koos van den Akker for more than three years after graduation from Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design. Despite his youth, he’s been in the business for six years. Where He’s Going: New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art will include him with Ralph Lauren and Isaac Mizrahi in a fashion show this fall. Cover Girl Cosmetics wants him to design three fashion looks to help launch the company’s new fragrance. And New York’s influential Fashion Group has tagged him a designer to watch. The Designer: Carolyne Roehm The Clothes: Flesh-toned ensembles for day and evening, some with exposed midriffs, many in sheer chiffon or organza. Billowing caftans by night. Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue carry her collection. Where She’s Been: Born in Kirskville, Mo., and bred on 7th Avenue (in the workrooms of her mentor, Oscar de la Renta), Roehm, age 38, launched her own business four years ago. Where She’s Going: Since her financier husband became her company’s backer, Roehm (pronounced Rome) has opened an office at 550 7th Ave., fashion’s most prestigious address, where her neighbors are Blass, Beene, Lauren and de la Renta. She is president of the powerful Council of Fashion Designers of America. She studies dressage, piano and French, and wants to learn Italian.
