Style Fashion Week LA: Altaf Maaneshia

Altaf Maaneshia. I’ll let the name resonate in your mind for a moment.

Ladies and gents, when I tell you that I started to go crazy when I met him, I mean it. From the fanning of the face to the overtly powerful hugs, to the welling of the tears. Altaf is one of my favorite designers and when I tell you that he delivers, I mean he does it EVERY SINGLE TIME. I fell in love with this designer, now my friend, when I saw his last collection. His clothes scream class, sophistication, power, and of course style.

Altaf Maaneshia (two ‘A’s’, look him up) is, in my opinion, the new Chanel (the classic Chanel, not the latest). When you think of a business suit, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Boring, dark blue or black, ill-fitting pencil skirt, and an ugly jacket to pair with it, yes? Well let’s change that perception shall we?

Altaf incorporates one thing that I absolutel loved with his pencil skirts…fur. No one ever forbid fur skirts in the workplace right? So why not up the ante in the skirt game?

What’s great about Altaf’s collection is that it is versatile. You can wear every single piece from day to night. It all depends on how you style it. Let’s take the ankle length skirt for instance, probably one of the most difficult pieces to wear without looking like a nun. Attack it head on with a pair of killer shoes. Whether you dress it up with pointy-toed or sky high platform heels or if you’re feeling a little quirky, pair it with some vintage sneakers for a retro 90s look.

The issue with classic womenswear is that some designer often create bland pieces. The word “classic” is often misconstrued and portrayed as simple and boring, respectively. The thing is, year after year, with ever changing styles and more lenient and fashion forward workplaces, designers have more and more space to create an edgier, more fashionable piece. Altaf Maaneshia does exactly that with his F/W ’14 collection.

His line represents the powerful woman. She’s strong, takes chances, doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and she has style; all in all, she’s a superwoman, at ANY age. At 21 you can rock the mini dress with the killer thigh high boots or the leather zip up pants. At 34 you can wear the ruffled top or the knee-length pencil skirts. At 52, we can pull out those long fur coats and full A-line dresses. Or, if you’re like me, we can pull them out right now.

I was, and still am, in love with Altaf Maaneshia’s designs. What’s next for the designer? I can’t wait to see.

Written by Kat Blanca of KatBlanca.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.