Photo by Rochelle Brodin

Photo by Rochelle Brodin

DAY TO NIGHT

Kevan Hall Fall 2020 Elevates Fashion Into the Reaches of the Night Sky

Fashion in the time of coronavirus has experienced hardship, yet there has also been an enormous amount of hope generated during this difficult period. Kevan Hall has been at the forefront of protective-mask production and personal-protective-equipment enhancement for healthcare workers. He also has adhered to the fashion calendar by developing a new Fall 2020 collection of formal garments. Inspired by the deep, dark midnight sky and its extraordinary sparkling starry elements, Hall wanted to unveil a collection that would afford elegance to his clients as life goes on.

“For me, even though people are trying to be safe and so many events have been canceled, there are still those legacy moments where there is an opportunity for people to have something beautiful, because the photographs are forever,” Hall said.

Using beaded tulle that yielded a pattern similar to constellations in the sky, galaxy twill, crinkled cloqué that includes metallic accents, sequins and stretch crepe, Hall created striking formalwear that relied on hues of lapis, navy, midnight, gunmetal, silver, raspberry, ruby and charcoal—his favorite due to its seasonless characteristic.

“Sometimes I’ll have a concept and I’ll find things that fit into the concept. This time, as I was shopping for textiles, I kept becoming attracted to things that looked like the galaxy, the night sky, the starry night,” he said. “I fell in love all over again with colors such as navy, lapis, midnight with touches of gunmetal and silver in some of the beading. There were also all the splashes of color, but the anchor is the beautiful sky.”

Noting the continued importance of remaining safe, Hall also designed masks to complement the garments. While the collection is available by appointment at his atelier and on kevanhalldesigns.com, face coverings are also available through his KevanCares initiative, etsy.com/shop/KevanCares, which commits to donating one mask to an essential or frontline worker for every protective piece that is sold.

While grounded at home, after noticing a few of his favorite models posting to Instagram, Hall reached out and suggested they manage a shoot. He sent garments to the models—whom he has referred to as his “QuaranTeam”—comprising Sarah DeAnna and Anastassija Makarenko of LA Models Runway and photographer Rochelle Brodine. The women delivered through a photo shoot that adhered to safety measures to thwart the spread of the coronavirus.

“They were very conscious about the social distancing. They even set up the shoot with two separate dressing areas. There was a separate area where the photo shoot would be and where the clothes were,” Hall explained. “I made masks to go with some of the things that matched, and others were a classic black mask. I let them have fun with it, and they did a great job.”

With this collection, Hall sees an opportunity for his clients to safely find joy again in life’s milestone moments. He encourages mindful planning for organizing smaller events, including weddings, yet Hall also wants women to enjoy feeling special.

“Maybe you do it with a few of your dearest and best, but you still want to have a beautiful dress for the mother or a fabulous dress for the bride. Maybe she doesn’t want a white or ivory gown. Maybe she wants something that looks more elevated or glamorous,” he said. “It’s creating things that are beautiful for those legacy moments that will be photographed and go down in their memories forever.”