Carolina Herrera creates a secret garden at New York Fashion Week
Carolina Herrera breathed spring back to life at Monday’s New York Fashion Week show with a romantic portrayal of nature and beauty, accentuating that the brand’s modern and striking feminine aesthetics work for every woman throughout the seasons and decades. Inspired by one of his favourite childhood novels, “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnet, designer Wes Gordon said that “in a world that can be dark and scary and unpredictable, it’s okay for some things to just be pure joy and beauty.” “That’s what this morning was about,” he added. The Plaza Hotel ballroom’s grand elegance boomed with Barbara Streisand’s classic “Funny Girl” hit “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” complementing the romantic bliss emanating from the maximalist hand-painted tea roses and peonies gowns, mini-dresses and matching bucket hats and denim jumpsuits worn by models adorned with a classic crimson red lip and, in some cases, chunky, droopy earrings.
“I really created a palete of five beautiful floral prints, that I reimagined in lots of different scales and colorways,” Gordon said. “I view this collection as a garden.”
Gordon and his team skillfully handcrated a multitude of looks starting with the opening gown, a striped coton blouse paired with a taffeta ball skirt, illustratingawhimsicalhigh-classgardenervibeinline withtrueherrerafashion.modelsstellamaxwelland Karlie Kloss each had two separate looks. Maxwell shined in a mini yellow taxicab-colored floral dress while Kloss’ height accentuated her second look, a long sleeve, yellow peony trench gown. Siting in the front row were Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart and singers Ellie Goulding, Sabrina
Models Stella Maxwell and Karlie Kloss each had two separate looks. Maxwell shined in a mini yellow taxicabcoloured floral dress while Kloss’ height accentuated her second look, a long sleeve, yellow gown
Carpenter and Becky G. Standout pieces included a bold dramatic body-hugging column dress with a large rosete sleeve, which was seen on actress Kate Hudson the previous night at the Toronto Film Festival. Another eye-catching moment featured a mini yellow tent dress that almost looked like it was floating on the model. But the showstopper was Precious Lee’s closing gown, a strapless, bodysuit black silk chiffon dress trimmed with tulle. Lee held the extravagant train with her hands as she closed the show. Gordon emphasized that Herrera’s ability to evolve each season is because of the brand’s ability to listen, specifically to women.
“It’s not hard to evolve with the times if you just pay atention to women who wear your clothes,” Gordon said.
Meanwhile, Laquan Smith used the spectacular seting of a historic aircrat carrier for his fashion show exploring the female form. At a Monday evening soiree on the USS Intrepid, the famed tourist atraction docked on the Hudson River, Smith launched his spring ready-to-wear collection. Milling among wartime relics like the Avenger bomber, fashion insiders, music industry celebrities and social media influencers sipped cocktails and posed for photos while they waited for the show to get under way.