Elegance & Emergency
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
How many draped jersey dresses can you see in one show? If it’s a Costello Tagliapietra presentation, the answer is, “Keep them coming!” The bearded and slightly gruff-looking duo has perfected their concept of making deliciously soft and simple frocks that are as useful as they are beautiful. Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra have the consistency of a strong vision. Their spring 2006 collection followed a few simple guidelines: light knit fabrics in soft pastel colors, draped in slim and simple silhouettes that looked weightless on the body. This style may have been around since Madame Gres, but the designers’ scaled-down proportions and subtle innovations – such as a folded hem below a bare back and a clean slit in a blousy cut – made the clothes look utterly modern. The butterfly-shaped tops and clingy wrap dresses had a sexy and sophisticated vibe that was somewhere between a 1930s screen siren and Sean Young in “Blade Runner.” The bronze-colored, floor length evening gown that ended the show was nothing short of spectacular.
One designer who looks like he’s well on his way to finding his voice is Canadian Jeremy Laing, a former assistant to Alexander McQueen. Mr. Laing’s first collection, shown in New York City last spring, was an exercise in androgynous Edwardian-inspired clothing that was shown both on men and women. For his sophomore effort, however, Mr. Laing explored his feminine side, mixing boyish styles like loose-fitting dungarees with rich silk dresses that looked like a futuristic take on Dior’s famous New Look. Mr. Laing does not make paper patterns for his clothes, but instead works directly with the fabric on the body, which makes for a sculptural and slightly otherworldly quality. Exaggerated proportions, like a dress with suspended bustles below the shoulders, made the models look like strangely beautiful insects with wings. Some touches were slightly off, like the kind of circular-sleeve cut that has been done to death since the late ’90s, but all in all, the collection was original and beautiful.
Diane von Furstenberg faced a minor disaster at the end of her show when one of the supremely heavy lighting poles came crashing down on her audience and models. Although some editors got hurt – including Hilary Alexander of the Daily Telegraph and Teen Vogue editor in chief Amy Astley, who suffered gashes to their head and back, respectively – nobody was critically injured. Before its chaotic ending, however, Ms. von Furstenberg’s show, “La Dolce Diva,” was fun, girly, and glamorous, just as it was intended to be. Channeling Italian 1960s screen goddesses such as Sophia Loren and Claudia Cardinale, the designer sent out sexy and kittenish fare like colorful baby-doll dresses in bold op-art patterns, shrunken cardigans and form-fitting sundresses in happy, floral prints, and, of course, a series of her signature wrap and shirt dresses. Vivid shades of green, red, and orange were set against stark white and black patterns. One can only hope that this collection will be remembered for its fresh and pretty clothes rather than the front row concussions it caused.