A Houstonian’s Stunning Custom-Made Gown Out Dazzles a Top Designer’s Fashion Week Show: Naeem Khan Loves Women Who Want to be Noticed

NEW YORK — Naeem Khan likes to design for women who like to get noticed. The Indian-born designer always creates eye-popping styles featuring colorful embroidery, rich floral threadwork, and lavish sequin and crystal beading that can’t help but make a fashion statement when a women walks into a room wearing one of his creations.

And, with his fall collection, Khan’s designs are likely to draw even more attention when she leaves, too.

Most runway shots featured the front of a dress or evening gown. But when Khan sent out photos of the collection, unveiled at New York Fashion Week, he also featured each look as it left the runway. And it’s no wonder that he did because most of his styles are more noticeable from the back than the front.

Take one of the opening looks. From the front, it is a simple black satin bustier and velvet tearaway pant. But when the model turns, she reveals a floor-grazing hooded cape with a golden starburst and colorful embroidered flowers. Same goes for a multi-colored embroidered shawl that covers a beaded  gown and a metallic jacket over a red satin jumpsuit — both offer a much more powerful fashion statement when the model walks away.

Khan, who made his ending bow with a mini-Australian shepherd who scampered down the runway, said he dedicated the collection to the “global woman,” and, indeed, it reflects a world view, with one look resembling a Japanese kimono with a fuchsia sash, floral patterned skirts and jackets that resemble a painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, and rich gold brocade gowns in patterns of the Ottoman Empire.

And the closing look  — a dark velvet track suit—  reveals a sequined Statue of Liberty on the back of the jacket. (In addition to formal wear, Khan offers his clients a number of upscale casual styles, with heavily embroidered zip-up jackets and drawstring pants.)

While the collection was dazzling, nothing it in compared to the gown Khan recently designed for Hallie Vanderhider, who chaired the Houston Ballet Ball. As a tribute to Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake,” Khan created a custom-made gown covered in 3,500 natural black coque feathers, weighing in at 7.25 pounds, for Vanderhider, who flew to New York with Tootsies creative director Fady Armanious for a fitting. The gorgeous gown was the talk of the ball, as Vanderhider welcomed guests.

In New York,  Fly Productions Creative event designer and fashion show producer Melissa d’Attilio again directed the show from a booth above the runway. D’Attilio lives in Houston, where she is a real estate agent at Carnan Properties, but she always returns to New York during fashion week to produce Khan’s runway show.