Meet Elizabeth Kennedy, the New Go-To Designer for the Red Carpet
Elizabeth Kennedy is no stranger to fashion week. At only 22 years old, she was working as the head designer for Isaac Mizrahi, then moved onto Donna Karan, where she crafted gorgeous gowns for the red carpet. So while she’s a seasoned pro, the Fall/Winter 2016 was a new chapter in her fashionable story as it was the first time that she staged a show for her two-year-old eponymous label.
And what a label it is! This season alone we’ve seen her gowns adorn the likes of Maura Tierney and Laverne Cox for the Golden Globes. And who, pray tell, will she dress at the Oscars? We caught up with the designer after her presentation at the Four Seasons on Wednesday night to chat about the next steps in her fashion career, what it’s like to dress Laverne Cox, and the state of fashion and retail today.
Yahoo Style: So, what was going through your mind as you created this collection?
Elizabeth Kennedy: I wanted to do something really dramatic for my first show during fashion week. Last time I was in Paris, I got inspiration from looking at old paintings of Empress Josephine Bonaparte. The collection was inspired by this Napoleonic, regency era-style dress which is actually very modern. The volume, the proportions and the layering of color were really inspiring. I wanted to interpret it in a more modern way, referencing the paisleys and the point d’espirits.
This is your first fashion week presenting under your own label, is the feeling different when it’s your namesake?
It is. I’ve had my own business for a few years now, but I’ve never actually done a fashion show. It’s a different kind of adrenaline rush. It’s a little more pressure, obviously, but I wanted to up the ante a bit.
It’s nice that you went for an intimate setting for your first go-round.
I love this place, it’s one of my favorite places in New York. I actually got married here, so it’s a very dear place to my heart and the fact that they’re leaving in June, I was like, it’s my one and only shot, so I might as well take it.
What was it like dressing Laverne Cox for the Globes?
She was amazing, she was really easy to work with. She came in and she was like, ‘What do you think I should wear?’ We were sort of playing around with ideas. She wanted to do something that she’s never worn before, so I sketched her this kind of Old Hollywood, movie star look. She was a breeze to work with, and she was amazing.
This is your first fashion show, but at this point we’re seeing major shifts in how and when designers are showing their collections. What does this mean for you as a designer?
The shift that is happening in fashion right now is really interesting for many reasons. In one sense, the fashion industry is finally adapting to a time when consumers want to be able to buy what they see on the runway immediately. On the other hand, it is forcing fashion to slow down a bit, which is going to change retail significantly.
I’m a huge believer in the buy-now-wear-now concept. I think consumers want to be able to shop for clothing that is actually in season. I think the the way the fashion calendar has been operating is not only tough on designers, but I also think it is bad for retail. There is an overwhelming amount of product, and everything is always on sale because the product hits the sales floor too early. Of course, larger brands like Burberry and Tom Ford have a loyal customer base, not to mention their own stores and tremendous distribution, so they can really dictate the timeline of when new product hits the stores.
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