Two looks from Sherise Eways

For the fourth consecutive year, the Academy of Art University brought a piece of SF to NY for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Its MFA grads (seven women's wear and two menswear collections) were the only representatives of a college to show at the Bryant Park tents this year, among such fashion heavyweights as Diane Von Furstenberg, Donna Karan and Phillip Lim. Check out our favorite looks from the Academy grads’ Fall 2008 collections. We predict pieces by at least a few of these local up-and-comers will show up at a boutique near you.

Scoring a sponsorship from Swarovski Crystal, Sherise Eways created tuxedo pantsuits with voluminous shoulders and metallic petal dresses built from the idea of a woman morphing into a bird, butterfly or flower. Hand-hammered jewelry by Melissa Christensen accompanied each look.


BoKyung Cha

The Möbius band, discovered in 1858 by German mathematicians, inspired BoKyung Cha’s assortment of girly frocks and playful shapes. Cha also designed the textiles for her line of sophisticated wool and organza pieces accented with ruffles, pleating and colorful pink prints.


Shady N.R. Elias

Shady N.R. Elias relied on music by the Audio Bullys with vocals by Nancy Sinatra to inspire the mood for his menswear collection. Structured silhouettes—in structured calfskin blazers and coats—evoked the idea of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

All images courtesy of Randy Brooks.