Photos: UnBeige

It's Fashion Week Eve, and as the Bryant Park tents prepare to welcome the competitively dressed droves, we bring you the softer, gentler world of Thai-born designer Koi Suwannagate, who showed her fall 2008 collection (pictured above) against a handpainted backdrop that resembled a sunset dreamed up by Mark Rothko. Looking fresh from a forest frolic, the models floated out to the sounds of birds chirping wearing the supersoft handmade garments that are the designer's trademark, from capelets limned in recycled cashmere rosettes to fluid sheaths accented with hummingbird appliques and embroidery. Shades of cream, grey, and navy were enlivened with shocks of claret, orange, turquoise, and cobalt blue. "My signature style is to sculpt and shape each piece to enhance and beautify the natural contours of the female body, draped in a way that allows fluid movement and ultimate comfort," says Suwannagate, who like Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, manages to transcend artsy-craftsiness through the mastery of ultra-luxurious fabrics: layering the finest cashmere, silk, and cotton in earthy hues and to otherworldy effects.

Previously on UnBeige: