As a child growing up along the Irish seacoast, Don O’Neill, Creative Director for Theia, was fascinated by the starry night sky. O’Neill’s love of the sea and the firmament is resolutely evident in his shimmering Fall 2011 collection of mesmerizing mermaid sheaths and swirling galaxy gowns inspired by celestial images glimpsed from the Hubble telescope.
For years, O’Neill imagined himself as a reincarnated illuminator, one of the craftsmen who add decorative illustrations to illuminated manuscripts – such as the Book of Kells, for example.
Ireland’s beloved manuscript of the four gospels, illuminated by Celtic monks in 800 A.D., has long been an inspiration for O’Neill – and his Fall 2011 collection, presented at the Theia showroom during New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011, was a loving return to O’Neill’s first collection shown in 1987.
O’Neill’s apprenticeship was with Royal Couturier, Gina Fratini, followed by a stint in Paris with Christian Lacroix. With the receipt of his green card, O’Neill moved to New York and worked for ten years with Carmen Marc Valvo.
Launched in 2009, Theia takes its name from the Greek goddess of light, whose three progeny – Helios, Celine, and Eos – insure that the planet is bathed in radiance and luminosity.
Similarly, O’Neill’s vision for Theia is of a woman whose inner radiance is more readily apparent when wearing one of his dresses.
One gown, for example, was inspired by the light of the winter solstice that illuminates a passage that remains otherwise dark throughout the year.
(Source: MRNY)
The man behind Badgley Mischka’s Platinum label, O’Neill has, for years, evinced superlative craftsmanship in the service of beauty – and this collection was notable for its mesmerizing use of crystal and beading on gowns that were as red-carpet ready as they were exemplars of a Champagne and caviar life.
O’Neill has said that he was originally inspired to become a designer as a consequence of his mother’s dresses from Bergdorf Goodman.
The twenty-one looks that O’Neill showed for his Fall 2011 collection were a testament to dressing up and dressing well.
Both raffinée and smoldering, O’Neill’s collection possesses that potent combination of seductive elegance. Think back to Michelle Pfeiffer making her entrance in Scarface.
These are gowns made for women who make an art form of descending a staircase. O’Neill’s perfectly-fitted cocktail dresses are perfect for penthouse entrances, while his mermaid sheaths in shades of geranium and coral herald September and the opening of the Metropolitan Opera.
Currently, Theia is sold in more than 350 stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. O’Neill’s gowns have been featured in Glamour, InStyle, People, and worn by celebrities such as Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift.
With this collection, O’Neill makes it abundantly clear that illumination has always been at the heart of his work – and that, for O’Neill, the goddess of light shines within every woman.
LINK: Theia Couture
