New York Fashion Week: Costello Tagliapietra Spring Summer 2014

Designers Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra have been a powerhouse duo since the brand's inception in 2004. Their comfortable take on fashion includes below-the-knee skirts and even the silkiest of pajama dressing (yes, you read that right. pajama dressing is a thing!). They displayed their newest designs for Costello Tagliapietra Spring/Summer 2014 in New York City on Thursday, September 5 at Milk Studio as a part of MADE’s Fashion Week. Having both come from families of tailors, “it was natural to work with fabric,” . In the past, the designers have worked with many famous musicians, including Madonna and Bruce Springsteen.

Their designs reflected the traditional glamour surrounding the runway, each piece exemplified classy, sophisticated dress; no skirt fell above the knee, no neckline plunged towards the navel.

For this collection, Costello and Tagliapietra were inspired by a vacation theme, shown in the silky, comfortable fabrics that flowed from the body yet complimented a woman’s curves. For these designs, Tagliapietra explained,“[we wanted] fabrics that felt easy, that felt comfortable, that had softness to them, that were sportswear but also luxurious.” He added that he pictured a scene by the ocean with a woman wearing his designs.

“The colors aren’t hard to wear,” Tagliapietra said. Just like the vacation that inspired the designers, “they’re easy on the skin.” To exemplify this easiness, the models’ hair was parted in the center and pulled back into low, easy-going braids, complemented by a natural look with a shiny dab of pink lip gloss on their lips. They sported strappy sandals and easy-to-carry brown, cross-body leather bags to tie into the vacation theme.

Brown belts fastened at a natural waist over long cardigans were another accessory trend that appeared on the runway.

The majority of the pieces that appeared in the show were a single color in an array of bright pinks and oranges, navy blues and mint greens. Costello Tagliapietra ended their show with a stunning floor-length, magenta gown. The 2014 Spring/Summer collection also contained a blurred splash of Costello and Tagliapietra’s iconic plaid; this was featured in an outfit paired with silky pants inspired from this year’s sleepwear trend.

Their inspiration coming from everywhere, Costello Tagliapietra’s next design remains hard to predict but there’s no doubt plaid will make an appearance.