Leila Shams' Great Depression for Fall 2012
Leila Shams pressed "play" on a Morrissey album and began to paint what would become the first print of her Fall 2012 Collection. She had just learned that her ex had been dating her best friend and found herself lost in the abyss of fashion freelance before she turned to tumblr for inspiration.
“I was really sad when I designed my Fall collection.” Shams said, “The one thing that inspired me was blogs…scrolling through the beautifully morose images and words posted by strangers was strangely comforting.”
Shams named the collection “Great Depression” based on the root of its beginning. Like a true artist, she used her talent to express the grief she was suffering and to show her fans that from pain comes beauty. Glitter pills, a sad monkey, and neon signs reading “Black is the New Black” rule the images of her collection; a dark color scheme splashed with deep purples and hint of turquoise and green that highlight the inner-turmoil the designer was fighting through with a paintbrush and sketchpad.
“Great Depression” offers perfect pieces for the season and also pays homage to Shams’ successful Fall 2010 collection, the designer’s first solo. Unusual silhouettes, neon color combinations, and use of interesting fabrics and hardware has become somewhat of a Shams specialty and continues to make her stand out from the sea of young designers.
Shams, whose line reflects sex appeal and wit, created it for “ a woman who loves to be noticed.” She is currently in India working and says, “Things are going amazing.” She plans to start designing her Spring 2013 collection later this month.
