Glenn Close on Front Row at the fall 2012 Bibhu Mohapatra show

As part of Fashion Week, The Associated Press attended a handful of shows by designers who seem on the cusp. They are not household names, unless you live among the hipsters of SoHo or Brooklyn, but based on the buzz they had among front-row players, they seem to have potential as the next big things:

— Bibhu Mohapatra’s specialty is eveningwear, and he’ll often highlight the colors and luxurious fabrics associated with his Indian roots. This season, however, he found inspiration in imperial China, specifically a Chinese opera called “The White Haired Girl.”
In his notes, he explained the look revolved around “the protagonist’s strength, courage and passion for love.”
On the runway, Mohapatra expressed his interest through his prints—red silk printed pants and a blue silk pencil skirt, for example. But he also couldn’t ignore the luxury customer he began courting as an assistant designer for Halston, and later at J. Mendel, where he eventually became design director.
With that background, working with alligator and pony fur, blue-dyed fox fur and leather seemed to come easily.
The breakout looks included a pleated chiffon ombre gown that went from black to beige, and a metallic silk dress covered in red ribbon embroidery. If he could get his ivory crepe gown with a plunging sheer panel and ivory embroidery on the red carpet on the right star, it could be his big break.