Project Ethos Runway Designer: Rumple Munkeh

Story and Photography by Stefhan Gordon, Special Correspondent

RumpleMunkeh's designer Rochelle Carino-Oneill  was inspired by the Bond girls who are always sexy, stylish and elegant but she still wanted to keep the playful vibe that RumpleMunkeh has.  She wanted to show more range with this collection.  She noted, "I tend to design mostly dresses so this time I incorporated separates.  I used mostly stretch fabrics and knits so that the clothes would be comfortable ...you know, in case the girls need to go after a spy or something." Since she used pretty basic fabrics Rochelle chose to do more hand worked details like beading and sequins.

One of her favorite pieces from the collection is the long gold gown that Saba Hatzkimarkos (see picture above) was modeling.  "I saw the fabric in downtown and fell in love with it."  She noted it's not your typical evening gown material but she thought the pattern and pleating would give a nice effect.

Another piece she is proud of is the dress that she wore on the runway at the end of her presentation (image just above).  She did all of the beading by hand and it took her about a month to complete.  

While walking around after the show, one look she got a lot of positive feedback from the audience was the white tafetta/sweater knit dress that Latoya Hawthorne was modeling. Again, she thought that the combination of these 2 fabrics isn't too common with cocktail wear.

Another look that the audience really liked was the jumpsuit that Whitney Heleker was wearing.  It is made from jersey slub spandex. Rochelle said, ".. People approached me after the show and said it looked like a bond girl outfit before I even told them that was my inspiration."  This made her smile because she thought to herself, "I must have done something right".

She feels that she finds out more about herself  and improves as a designer with each collection. She can't wait to explore more and take more risks!

For a complete slide show of all RumpleMunkeh looks during Project Ethos click here: Slideshow