Carolina Herrera could have been a florist in a past life. In fact, she could be in this life; when entertaining, she does her own floral arrangements, and they’re divine. So it’s not surprising that Herrera often looks to flowers to guide her collections. She did just that for spring, zeroing in on the garden palette of pink, iris blue, purple and yellow — with a twist, one that funneled the glories of nature through a modernist, digital prism. Herrera worked mostly in what she called “techno” fabrics — high-tech takes on piqués and jerseys as well as a Neoprene-like foam — and rendered her flamboyant blossoms in computer prints that were blown up, pixelated, diagramed into their color spectrum, and sometimes, cut into pieces and reassembled.
Yet Herrera didn’t hop on the digital train aimlessly, or to prove her cool factor. “With the new technology, you have so many opportunities,” she said during a preview. “This fabric molds so well, and it’s so feminine and light.” It made for a beautiful collection, one that retained the innate Herrera grace while taking on a youthful demeanor.
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It didn’t hurt that Herrera kept her decorative inclinations in check. Why go crazy with embellishment when one or two blooms will do? Cases in point: a gown with a giant tulip, its center a square color spectrum; a jersey dress with a vibrant lily on each shoulder. She also offered alternatives to the prints via solid versions of the piqué and foam used for dresses, suits, even gowns, which looked especially good particularly in sunshine yellow. The cuts were lovely, and the fabrics infused it all with a chic, modern momentum.