Editor's Note: As the fall fashion season approaches, we look at some of the hot looks that will soon be in stores as shown on the runways of New York Fashion Week.
It might not be too far off the mark to proclaim that the design duo of Cushnie Et Ochs have never seen a body part they aren't game to expose.
Sure, New Yorker Michelle Ochs and Londoner Carly Cushnie don't venue into X-rated territory, but their super-sexy clothes always reveal an unexpected hint of skin at the ribcage, collarbone, shoulder, midriff or between the breasts.
"A lot of people think you have to be a size zero, and that's not true."
Their fall collection, which was shown at Milk Studios during New York Fashion Week, certainly featured the silhouette they are known for. But they also showed some more covered-up pieces — a tailored '70s-style green velvet pants and jacket combo, a mauve jumpsuit with matching overcoat and a high-necked, long sleeve tomato red dress with a flared skirt — that still flatter the body.
In a response to critics who sometimes carp that their clothes are made for waif-like models, they opened their show with Crystal Renn, who is by no means plus size but is more curvaceous that most runway models, and featured a number of models with amble breasts and backsides.
"Being women, during our production, we fit, fit, fit to make it comfortable, so you can sit down, if you can't wear a bra, you're supporter and whatever. A lot of people think you have to be a size zero, and that's not true," Cushnie told a select group of American Express card members in a question-and-answer session after the show. (The company offers special packages with backstage access to a number of shows each season for its clients.)
"Crystal, who opened the show is a beautiful girl and we really love working with her. She's sexy and it's awesome to open," Ochs added. "We always like girls who are very womanly looking, with boobs and a butt, and all of that. We want women like women in our clothes. It's not for young, young girls."
For inspiration for this collection, they turned to aerial outer space photos of the Earth. "We wanted this weightless feel with the capes and dresses," Cushnie said. "It's stil sexy but with movement. It's a bit softer."
Cushnie et Ochs gown with cutouts and the bodice and thigh slit.
With designs for both men and women, the boots are exclusively available online. Photo courtesy of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
