New York Fall 2011 Fashion Week: Trías

When a designer’s grandmother was a muse for fashion icon Cristóbal Balenciaga, she might be expected to be an influence on his work.

Not so, says Spanish designer Joaquín Trías, who says Countessa Frida Trías, “influenced my life more than my work.” (His other abuelita was the equally chic Countess of Quiroga, Cristina Sartorius.)

“You take things from all kinds of places,” he added.

For the Fall 2011 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the designer decided against having his models walk the runway. Instead, they stood still on low platforms, allowing guests to study in detail and in-the-round the modern, minimal, largely earth-toned collection.

(No surprise in the pallete. This is the man who told the New York Times’ T magazine, “I only wear three colors: white, blue or black. Always jeans and a coat.”)