Remember Leanne Marshall? The quiet storm contestant on Season 5 of Project Runway managed to avoid all the drama to emerge as the winner, wowing crowds at Bryant Park with her ocean-inspired collection? Well, Marshall is now trying to "make it work" (okay, it's an overused expression, but it's still so much fun to say!) in the big bad fashion market. Her 9-piece debut collection just hit Bluefly.com, so here's your chance to purchase one of her winning designs.
So are we "sold on her designs" or are we "just not buying it" (to quote Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland)? I personally think the "Jasmine"jacket (pictured third from top), a short-sleeved, cropped piece made of natural bamboo and featuring puff sleeves and oversize lapels, is a beautiful layering piece for early fall.
If you're looking something that more closely resembles the looks you saw floating down the runway during her acclaimed Bryant Park debut, you'll probably appreciate the "Lana" ruffle skirt (pictured fourth from top), which features the type of fluid, soft pleating construction (in a tiered fashion, no less) that made us swoon at her show. Similarly, the "Elanna" strapless evening gown (pictured first from top) strikes me as a cross between the white wedding dress and the strapless aqua gown seen in her Fashion Week collection (though the Elanna design does feel a bit heavier due to the curtain-like draping at the bottom of the skirt). The dolman sleeved, bubble hemmed "Victoria" dress (second from top) also features the type of delicate pleating we've come to associate with Marshall, though I must say I find it to be one of the safer, more boring pieces.
Her Bluefly collection also includes loose-fitting tank tops with soft ruffles (such as the one pictured above) in white and coral, tunics with banded ribbon details along the neckline in blue and fuchsia, and a fuchsia ddwing dress with ivory details.
While the collection is solid and the pieces appear well-constructed, I'm not sure that they have the wow factor I had anticipated — I would have liked to see more of the unexpected silhouettes and intricate, sculptural pleating details we saw at Bryant Park. I also wish Leanne would have utilized more of the soft aqua blue and turquoise shades that made her collection so vivacious. But hey, it's just a taste of what's to come!
Leanne Marshall "Elanna" strapless dress, $990; "Victrine" bubble hem dress, $275; "Jasmine" cropped jacket, $220. "Lana" ruffle skirt, $168; and "Sophie" tank, $110. Visit Bluefly.com
