With a reputation for being the “commercial” season, designers create minimized collections to please the retail buyer and consumer. What was once a showcase of things for the lady who winters in the warmth has become anything but caftans and shifts this time around. Instead, there were separates where each label’s quintessential customer seemed to be their muse. Nolcha’s favorite stand outs came in a group of three:
Celine:
Phoebe Philo made her resort debut with Celine in Chelsea today. The industry who forever coveted Philo’s smart cuts and girly tendencies was not disappointed. Showcasing a collection that had more items for an established woman than a whimsical girl, the color palette was still true Philo with her blacks and nudes. Jackets were sharp but luxurious and the capes were perfect accompaniments to the simple straight silhouettes. Standouts were the detailed jackets (a pink tuxedo paired with marine blue skinny trousers was my favorite) making it obvious that bundled or bedecked the Celine woman is back and stylishly suited for spring.
(photo at left)
Prada:
Veering from the Resort norm, Miuccia Prada gave her audience a chic elegant collection with where each piece had a purpose. From the art-deco printed separates tied jauntily around the hips and colar bones to the platform sandals that repeated the bow motif, Prada re-affirmed her place as the “what women want now label.” Handbags were girly and matched their clothing counterparts, sumptious draping in a did-it-yourself way mixed with bright pops of color. If someone is looking for that “put a smile on your face” piece, Prada has dozens.
(photo at middle)
Lanvin:
Why does he have to be so cool? Alber Elbaz turned out another resort collection with thought and originality. Someone who is famous for catering directly to the women who purchase him, Elbaz gave his public, flirty fun movement in the “Alcapulco theme” but the whimsy didn’t plague the clothes in a costumey fashion. Slouch t-shirts, denim pieces, hip jumpsuits and bright crinkle trenches were donned by the energetic models making the coming Spring a most exciting thought. Color was exhuberant in greens, yellows and show-stopping melon. Lanvin’s ladies are having fun and who wouldn’t want to after this “recession heavy” winter?
(photo at right)
Regardless of the “dressing to please” Cruise 2010 also brought forth a couple of major trends, sure to hint at a taste of what is yet to come for Spring.
Safari: What is “resort” without a little trip to Africa? But this year the take was modern and deconstructed. Alberta Ferretti mixed trench dresses with muted tones of blue and yellow (almost like their primaries had been sandblasted) but finished off the collection with prints that brought to mind a Ghanian sunset. More sun-faded fabric at Costume National which included cool vests and slouchy rompers but with a city girl edge that made her more Soho than Sahara. Preen brought out the texture pairing a cinch-waisted safari short with a ruffled tank and Tory Burch’s traveler seemed to be the sort that actually purchases her line…straight from the Range Rover to tea, with appropriate little jackets complimenting slouchy khaki Bermudas. However, Stefano Pilati and his Yves Saint Laurent Resort collection was full of modern interpretations of the classic YSL. Fluid, deconstructed suiting and earth-toned cocktail dresses were topped off with wrapped heads. Whether Bruni or Obama… totally acceptable for an African mission.
Kaleidoscope Digital Prints: The trend of taking photographs and turning them digitally into vibrant patterns has had a large influence on the fabrics seen this cruise. What used to be heavy in florals, now emerges into more abstract kaleidoscope types of colors initiating movement a brightness not seen before. Matthew Williamson, known for his prints, came out strong again with his own label after his completion of Pucci. Christopher Kane took nuclear images which brought beauty to a morose subject in a brilliant way. Zero + Maria Cornejo’s Cornejo took the photographs herself, yet it was Bruno Basso and Christopher Brooke of Basso and Brooke’s less literal approach that looked springy, psychedelic and just plain fun.
The Urban Sheer: Transparency usually comes in the way of beach wear when discussing Cruise, but brands like VPL, Vera Wang, Jonathan Saunders and Calvin Klein brought up a more practical layered sheer, less suitable pool side and more set for the street. Slouchy t-shirts and tanks dominated at Wang, where VPL followed suit, but with an addition of sheer paneling in slouchy dresses. Elise Øverland in her premier cruise effort gave her audience beautiful comfy gauze leggings, which will be a sure hit for the jetsetter. Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa unveiled airy weightless separates in a way only the king of minimal could do, but the Urban Sheer award has to go to Jonathan Saunders. For a Brit to get Resort and not turn it into a bizarre Mediterranean holiday is quite impressive. Each piece had depth and movement, with enough of a graphic element that made it true Saunders. With the understanding that no woman would leave the house in gauze; jackets, scarves and prim little shorts completed the collection.
Scuba: No worries, you will not have to wear neoprene jumpsuits. Instead the Scuba movement was more about paneling and placement to perfectly hug a woman’s curves. BCBG enhanced their draping with scuba-type mini skirts that hugged the hip. Behnaz Sarafpour added some paneling to a tunic with slick leggings to streamline the look. Proenza Schouler created a couple of tops that because of their surf and skate backgrounds made the boy’s interpretation of the wetsuit believable for the downtown girl they so frequently dress, but it was Phi’s harder edge including exposed zippers, bold colors with heavy black accompaniment and blatant biker shorts that exemplified “surf city.”
Blue: Every season has a color, and Cruise aptly seems to be blue. Indigo, cerulean, cyan, any way you work it, pops of blue came into play amongst the typical black, nude, cream, grey and white, that so many modern designers select for their color conscious clients. With too many to count in terms of oceanic reference, Behnaz Sarafpour, Derek Lam, Doo Ri, Narcisco Rodriguez and Vena Cava all had stand-outs, yet we loveRachel Roy’s blue suit. Less zoot and more Ziggy Stardust, it sported exposed zippers and strong shoulders. Either piece could have been separated and played with to maximize that spring wardrobe proving that once again Rachel knows what women want.
French: Just because the house is from France does not mean that they have to send Francophile frocks down the runway, however this year a steady je ne sais quois returned. Classic French Mademoiselles with nipped in waists and flouncy skirts danced next to their nautical cousins, the bateau necked stripes and nothing could have been more classic and feminine. At Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs paired his mini’s with slouchy open-toed platform boots to stomp the boardwalk. For his eponymous line, Jacobs slide some nautical sweaters and bows amid the toucan crazy tropical fair. Berets and bouclé at Oscar de la Renta, complimented the black, grey and ivory color palette that looked dangerously close to Chanel, who under the dynamic helm of Karl Lagerfeld presented in Venice but with a direct homage to Coco Chanel and her favorite haunt therefore classic French marinière. But French influence can do no better than Balenciaga. In order to correctly represent a famous fashion house, there needs to be the perfect balance of old and new. Nicolas Ghesquière's Balenciaga presentation was just that from the placement of the waist detail and boxy jacket to the space age skinny trouser and thick leather-strapped sandals. It is his innovation and desire to perform that moves beyond trying to please the customer and into true creativity, which in the end pleases the loyal fans of Ghesquière anyway. -Lynn Furge
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