De La Renta designers bring storied theme to new collection
A night at the museum for Herrera show
Some highlights from this past week’s New York Fashion Week:
Denim at Oscar de la Renta
There was a whiff of change at Oscar de la Renta, where new designers Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim presented a whimsical collection featuring casual garments like midriff-baring denim jackets and roomy windbreakers.
It also was what you would call a signature collection — literally. Many of the garments bore the signature, in various forms, of the label’s late, legendary founder, de la Renta — either in script, or even in large, sparkly letters spelling out his name.
“We’re celebrating him unabashedly,” Garcia said backstage.
The designers noted that the only time until now that de la Renta’s signature appeared on his clothes was on a gown that Sarah Jessica Parker wore to the Met Gala in 2014.
He added that he and Kim had updated the image of de la Renta’s signature after looking around and finding that “the signatures he actually left behind were much more legible, and true to his handwriting.”
The designers, presenting only their second Fashion Week collection for the label after taking over following the sudden departure of Peter Copping, began a runway show with a series of looks with a paint splatter motif.
They were telling a story, they explained, of a woman trying to decide what to paint. Once she paints, she signs the canvas.
While dresses and skirts had a paint splatter effect, the theme even extended to the stiletto shoes: The heels looked like the stems of black paint brushes.
New techniques being used by the label included laser-cut leather, Garcia said, along with the denim, part of an effort to expand the clientele and the appeal of the brand.
For traditionalists, there were red carpet-ready gowns that define the brand’s image, like strapless gowns in tulle with full skirts and even a ruby-dyed mink coat.
Art in movement, at Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera believes that fashion is “art in movement,” and so naturally one of her favourite places to show her clothes is in a museum. In the past, she’s taken her show to the stunning courtyard at the Frick Collection, and for this Fashion Week she managed to secure the sculpture garden at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
“I’ve been trying to do it for many years, and at last I could and I am so honoured to be here,” the designer said.
An outdoor courtyard with its bubbling fountains served at the backdrop for Herrera’s chic garden party and ’80s-inspired collection.
There was gingham, and lots of puffed sleeves, big shoulders, colourful polka-dots and waists cinched with oversized bows. Sequins reigned supreme.
“This collection is all about colour,” Herrera said. “Colour is very powerful and makes you think in a different way. Colour makes you see things in different eyes.”
Herrera’s signature white blouse also made a runway appearance, this time with a deep V-neck, dramatic sleeves and a gingham wrap skirt.