Our first stop on Day 1 of New York Fashion Week was the CALIA by Carrie Underwood presentation at the new NYFW HQ. I promise you more content on yesterday’s adventures, but I needed to dedicate a whole post just to this event because I was so blown away (see what I did there =P).
I must say, I’ve been to my fair share of fashion presentations and runway shows, and this one blew the rest out of the water. I know what you’re thinking, “she loves Carrie so of course she loved this show,” which is true, but from a fashion industry insider standpoint, the production team did an excellent job.
Fit models showing off the collection were real-looking women with a variety of different body shapes, including New York City stylist, fitness fanatic, and blogger, Christine Bibbo Herr of NYC Pretty. I loved how we could see the looks up close upon arrival. Then, during the fashion show portion, two corner stages were set up on either side of the audience. Models took time to jump or settle into their favorite yoga poses to demonstrate the movement of the fabric and energy of the collection.
The line’s first Fall/Winter collection was filled with colorful printed leggings, cozy sweaters, and feminine activewear favorites like sports bras and tanks. The colors were a beautiful mix of classic solids and bold, natural inspired patterns. The luxe, technical materials composing each piece are designed to help women transition both throughout their day and from fall to winter months.
The brand, launched just a little less than a year ago in partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, is already picking up an impressive amount of momentum. These are not your average yoga pants that you wear to the gym or to run into the food store. The pieces meet the demand of the everyday woman, doing 5,000 things with her life, that embraces an active lifestyle and seeks more versatility from her wardrobe. The inspiration for the designs comes from real women she shares, “They are moms, and they are wives, and they are daughters, and they have a job, and they are running around trying to take care of everybody and everything and everyone. We try to create pieces for them.”
As a new mom, having versatile, comfortable, easy-to-wear pieces has become a central part of Underwood’s wardrobe. Opting to show off how versatile the pieces are, the seven-time Grammy winner and “American Idol” alumni donned a pair of black leggings styled with gold metallic Ruthie Davis athletic wedges, a black-and-white striped top, and chunky gold accessories.
So how does this new mom stay fit post-baby bod, who welcomed her son Isaiah with husband Mike Fisher on Feb. 27? Post-show she dished to InStyle, “I’ve run a lot more this year than I ever have before. It’s the easiest kind of workout—you don’t have to think about planning it. When I have time, I like to plan my workout out, but right now I just throw on headphones and I’m out the door. I don’t have time to think about it.”
When chatting with PeopleStyle Carrie said, “Usually, you have to wait — you see these fabulous things on the runway, but you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s for next season.’ We wanted to make sure people can see the looks and then get them.” Attendees were able to shops the styles straight from the runway and went home with their favorite look. I must say, I am even more impressed with the garments holding them up close. The construction is impeccable and you won’t find the same quality of thick, luxurious fabrics in any other activewear at such an attainable price (leggings run from $35-$85).
Playing a different role at NYFW this season – going from front row celeb to behind the scenes designer – I think it’s safe to say others in the industry could benefit from taking a few notes from Carrie. Gorgeous, quality fashion aside, the fact that influencers, a-list editors, and country starts like Kelsea Ballerini could take the looks home with them straight from the runway was huge. It was a very interactive presentation, placing Carrie ahead of the game as fashion week continues to evolve, becoming more about the content and less about the buyer. Carrie also took so much time to mingle with the crowd, talk about the collection, and from having a few minutes to chat with her, she was so gracious for everyone’s support. Throw in proper hashtag marketing (#CaliaNYFW), super smoothies, and announcing that the brand is launching a swimwear collection for Spring 2016, I could not think of a better way to kick off my New York Fashion Week! You can shop the looks straight from the runway right now. =)
