Mario Moya's Debut Collection

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Last night, amongst the Rauschenbergs and the Harings at DJT Gallery in Chelsea, Mario Moya debuted a bantam collection of avatar-influenced clothes. From what I gather, the designer, while full of first-hand and first-class experience (Posen and Mugler are good enough for me), is self taught. His lack of core curriculum, however, was hardly apparent in the work.

Rad flap detailing on the back of jackets, pintuck pleats on his over the top final gown, and an electrically punctuated palate all speak to the sleek, strong, and overtly sexy woman that Moya has in mind. While his crowd seemed more midtown and middle-aged than cooler-than-thou kid, several small but important pieces -- the detachable whip-tassel on his cropped leather jackets, a brilliant blue silk-strip shrug and the sculptured thighhighs with full back-seam zippers (yowza) are bound to bring on the crowds.

Overall, Moya's collection was full of very pleasant surprises and maybe even a few small works of art.

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