On September 6th, I attended the 6pm show of Couture Fashion Week New York held in the Grand Ballroom at The New Yorker Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The show opened with an amazing display of bedazzled gowns by up-and-coming fashion designer Priya Saluja. A native of New Delhi, Priya draws her inspiration from India’s rich cultural heritage and creates one-of-a-kind pieces embellished with handcrafted printing and embroidery. The opulent garments were visually stunning and made a statement on the runway, showcasing a very contemporary twist on traditional Indian garments.

First Nations designers Linda Lavallee and Luugigyoo Patrick Stewart’s line creenisgaa clothing followed with handcrafted and hand-painted leather boots, along with wearable art fashions.The line’s name “creenisgaa” is named after the Cree and Nisga’a nations Linda and Patrick belong to.

Up next were the fashions of Canadian fashion designer Linda Kay Peters who debuted her line Bell Robes by Linda Kay Peters. Her designs incorporate elements from her own Ojibway/Cree heritage, while others feature her interpretations of the Coast Salish/Sto: lo culture. The formalwear for women was seductive and sexy, without being too raunchy. Male models donned pieces from the men’s line featuring expertly tailored vests.

Finally, the fashions of Aboriginal Fashion Designer and Artist Sho Sho Esquiro took the stage, whose elegant pieces feature meticulous detailing and figure-flattering silhouettes. A show-stopping strapless black gown with billowing ruffled bottom evoked a waterfall of verbal “wows” from the crowd before the room filled up with applause, and it wasn’t even the final piece in the collection to grace the runway.

The show featured a performance by Reagan Richards: Rock & Roll Oddity.