Local Designer Spotlight – Lilly Lorraine

New York Fashion Week! Just mentioning the event brings excitement and anticipation of gorgeous clothes, chic street style and trends to look forward to. Showing at NYFW is a huge accomplishment and an entree to the fashion world.

Luckily for us Austinites, local label Lilly Lorraine was invited to show at NYFW! Not only is it an honor, it helps show Austin as a legitimate fashion city. I hope to see more Austin designers find this level of success.

I’ve visited the label’s showroom and design shop a couple of times since it opened and was impressed with the innovative clothes and their lovely designer. The genius behind Lilly Lorraine, Christi du Mesnil Craven, grew up around fashion, watching her grandmother dress the most gorgeous women as a private stylist. She launched Lilly Lorraine in March of 2012, naming the brand after the woman who shaped her fashion eye: her grandmother.

As you can see, the space is beautiful and filled with creative touches. Christi prefers to design from the comfort of her chic rug. Fab. I loved her inspiration board.

Central to the label is a gorgeous knitwear of merino wool and bamboo handcrafted by Christi. The fabric begs to be touched. It’s woven into a gorgeous sensual pattern that is both chic and flatters the body.

Also not to be missed are Christi’s amazing evening gowns and embroidered pieces (see the amazing tunic below). I fell for a floor-length wool dress with a gorgeous lace detail down the back. It’s feminine, warm and chic. What’s not to love?!?

Check out other photos from Lilly Lorraine’s show at NYFW:

Congrats again to Christi and her amazing team!