The exuding calm and confidence that Narciso Rodriquez was radiating was so obvious and it was for a very good reason. He was about to present a wonderful collection of spare silhouetted, exquisite cuts and colorful graphics that were all perfectly executed with a perfect sense of control.
For this season he continued to focus on construction. "I was looking at the way the masters - Vionnet and Balenciaga - cut on the bias, then translating that into something modern," he said. The versions that he presented were fluid and complicated in construction and all looked effortless and divine. Rodriguez does a wonderful job in working the minimal angle.
This time he not did that but he also ventured into surface embellishments. It was an unknown territory for him but the results were lovely. There were laminated wooden paillettes, which he applied in an abstract motif on a striking moss dress. He also added colorful embroidery on several chic tops. The texture added a new dimension in Rodrigiuez's work and it was just beautiful.
The final looks were flowing, languid slip dresses that were almost transparent were it not for their big fuchsia and magenta color blocks. They were exquisite and look like a dream to wear for a beautiful summer evening. Narciso Rodriguez is a designer who is so good in the art of construction and technique that in this case and in this season showed his confidence in his designing abilities. Yes, this season is a confident collection and should not be missed out.
At the Narciso Rodriguez show there sat Gloria Estefan at the front row and her Latin beat was playing on repeat. This led to thinking that Rodriguez would show some of his passionate roots for fall. It turns out that he had something else in mind for his collection. "There's so much inspiration that went into it," Rodriguez said after the show. "Collaging, collecting, color, film stills, many artists, the film world. A lot of thinking."
The first look that came out was a chartreuse coat that was architectural and tailored in a modern bell shape. What followed were dresses draped around the torso, where there was a playful mixture of matte and shiny that accentuated the figure. Coats had a bell shaped volume that started at the waist and falling in A-line shapes from the shoulders and had a nice twist of a look at them. A pair of beaver coats were color blocked in warm autumn shades and looked fab. There was a saffron and burgundy dress that looked as though it had two looks in one.
Sexy looks such as a double layered tweed and flannel bustier and a tank stitched from black lace and embroidered silk were slightly awkward yet they were attention getters. The same lesson was applied to narrow bias cut silk evening skirts that fluttered and gave runway wind a good name. Pants were not so much on Rodriguez's mind yet the ones he presented were beautifully crisp, tailored and perfect. The introduction of his show and handbag collections debut here and they were precious and were a strong addition. They were a mixture of alligator, lizard, and python with suede in geometric ways.
Rodriguez used his strong sense of construction skills, layering different colors and fabrics that only he can do so successfully. The minimalism was sensual and the looks were all clean and polished. The colors in this collection may have looked moody but they were absolutely gorgeous either together or by themselves. Narciso Rodriguez is a name which is a stamp in American Fashion and it is a pleasure seeing it every season.
The inspiration board was covered with images of dramatic and weird work of artist Kim Joon, whose large scale, swirl-heavy tattoos make for fascinating and previous viewing. Narciso Rodriguez invoked this work in his collection that the result was absolutely impressive and it exuded such a vitality that it kept my attention. The black top over white pants, that opened the show, had a bold, flapped asymmetric waistband that made a powerful statement. The intensity heightened some more with off beat geometry, stripes, bands of squares going this way and that, hard lines keeping company with gentle curves. Joon brought him to a larger range of Asian references like the traditional silks and kimonos which were cut up into collage pieces. The pale colors and and bold graphics were quite soothing amidst all the overload of prints on the runway this season. The show closing dresses of white and pale silver jacquard were quite gentle. Rodriguez did a beautiful work and the essence of his talent radiated from every piece in this line up.
