Willie Hall Fall 2011 - Photographed by Chocolate Photography NYC

New York City Fashion Week kicked off on February 10th and for seven straight days designers from all walks of life showed the world their best garments for Fall 2011. In the midst of it all, Rogues Gallery Presents (RGP) showcased 14 emerging designers from Maryland, Boston, Texas and the New York City Tri-State area. The mission of the event is to showcase emerging designers and let the world see what is up and coming with new designs in fashion.

The show took place in the Skytop Ballroom of the Hotel Pennsylvania. The ballroom sat 800 guests and the place was at capacity with standing room only. Anticipation was high and the energy was electric. The show featured designs from swimwear to eveningwear and started on a high note with New Jersey’s own Willie Hall. Her line was elegant, fun, flirty and classy all at the same time. Dresses, slacks, skirts, blouses…she had it all. There was a silhouette for every body type whether you like it tight and sleek or loose and roomy. It was all there and it was all done Willie style. I was able to catch up with Willie right after the high-energy showcase for a brief Plush Nylon interview.

PNM: What was your inspiration for this collection?

WH: Love. Valentine’s Day is tomorrow and I thought about why don’t I do bright colors. You know, just to brighten somebody’s life that doesn’t have love in it. The mauves, the pinks and the blacks represent life and every spec of life defines us. So I just wanted to show my love to everybody.

PNM: Excellent. What are your three biggest trend predictions for Spring?

WH: Lots of base swimwear and trendy menswear. I’m going to be working on more trendy menswear aside from plain shorts and shirts and I’m going to spruce it up with cotton suits and linen suits for the men.

PNM: Great. What makes you unique? What makes you as a designer or your clothing unique?

WH: What makes me unique is that Willie knows what the trends are so Willie likes to bring what she has in her box outside of the box. I kinda stick with the 30’s and 40’s because it was such a clean era and very elegant. So I put that with a little modern style to the clothing and they’re functional.

PNM: Functionality is very important.

WH: Yes.

PNM: Who is the Willie Hall customer?

WH: Women from the age of 25-50 because I’m in the age bracket. I think that even if you’re 25 or almost 50, you still like to feel like you’re a little girl or young lady. So I try to keep that flirtiness in our lives.

PNM: Wow…excellent. Where can our readers find you?

WH: You can find me at www.facebook.com/williejhall, on MySpace.com or at NaiahDesign2@verizon.net.

PNM: Thank you so much. You have a fabulous, fabulous collection.

WH: You’re welcome and thank you.

Special thanks to Yinka of Chocolate Photography NYC for all of the runway images featured here. Yinka is an emerging New York City photographer specializing in lifestyle, weddings and special events. With a PLUSHNYLON exclusive coming out next month, Yinka is definitely one to watch. You can see more of her work at  www.ChocolatePhotographyNYC.blogspot.com.

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Tamara Figueroa is a Beauty/Fashion Contributor for PLUSHNYLON Magazine. She is also a New York City based makeup artist specializing in advertising, beauty, editorial, television and runway. Her work can be seen at www.TamaraMakeupArtistry.com