Spring’s hottest trends through the eyes of a designer
BY MARNI PRICHARD MANKO

BEHIND HER SOPHISTICATED and softly patrician exterior, Fiona Kotur is a world-class designer with a decidedly global aesthetic. In the early stages of her career, she quietly helped longtime friend and Valley Forge darling Tory Burch in the launch of her first handbag line and designed accessories while working for Ralph Lauren. Kotur has since moved to Hong Kong, where she started Kotur, her own line of elegant and intricately crafted clutches, minaudières and handbags made from luxe, exotic materials like python, shell, Lucite and shagreen. Celebs such as Anne Hathaway, Renée Zellweger, Drew Barrymore and Isla Fisher swear by her designs, and her name is increasingly gaining cachet with in-the-know circles. We caught up with her at a recent trunk show at Neiman Marcus in King of Prussia, where she gave us some insight into this season’s hottest trends.

GOING TRIBAL

“Some designers, like Alexander McQueen, took the bold, graphic direction of the season into brights, while others, like Dries Van Noten, mixed patterns and graphics in a more muted though equally bold way. For Kotur we added African matting and patterned Balinese straw to the collection, covering minaudières to bring another layer of interest to the look.”

SO BLACK AND WHITE

“Designers such as Gucci and Givenchy showed elements of white and black in combination – a look that was on trend with the assertive broad shoulder and bold pattern and silhouette. Our graphic patent mix fully complements the season’s spectator trend direction.”

DENIM BLUES

“Denim was everywhere on the runway, in all interpretations and washes, showing that it can be worn any way, with anything, for any occasion. Tory Burch pairs it with leather, while Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton piece different washes together to create jackets with amazing attitude. We used denim in unexpected ways, such as on structured bags, enabling them to be worn as a statement for day or evening.”

BRIGHT AND BOLD

“Bright color is nothing to shy away from as Phillip Lim sent models down the runway dressed head to toe in primary hues, while Stella McCartney favored splashes of hot pinks, reds and royal blues. Kotur created powerful, monochromatic accessories to add a strong statement in an understandable way to any look, or to complete an already bold outfit for the daring.”

SAFARI ADVENTURE

“Neutrals such as olive drab, khaki and tans were well represented by designers like Celine for spring 2010. We reintroduced our Rousseau straw clutch in natural and black only, but added a few graphic wood, snakeskin and glass embellishments – along with our Kotur signature Mandarin lock – to add graphic interest and seasonal relevance to the current trends.”