Like much else in life, fashion is a discipline of degrees. While noting that the design process is “always torture,” Narciso Rodriguez found the process for spring “a pleasure from beginning to end. I wanted to see things much more relaxed…easier and undone.”
Another relative assessment. Undone isn’t at the front of the lexicon in Rodriguez’s vocabulary; season after season, his pleasure principle takes ground in chic, high-polish clothes of the sort that resonate with women of various looks and personality types. To wit, Jessica Alba, Amy Schumer and Laura Linney sat front row.
Still, with spring, he clearly gave expression to his more relaxed side. He looked to photographs of the ocean for inspiration, translating what he found as shots of color, bottle-green and plum along with pinks, corals and browns; diaphanous shapes and undulating decorative elements, which he applied judiciously. The dresses were the highlight: exquisite, languid slides of crepe jersey and reversible linen bonded to chiffon, some deceptively revealing with skin-baring side views via deep armholes. Decoration came in a long, graphic mineral-dyed ellipse or bold arcs of embroidery. A pair of unfettered beauties closed the show, billowing dresses with cutaway hems, one black sateen, the other pink crepe.
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The separates proved more difficult. Jackets and tops were scarflike or wrapped kimono-style, often over amply cut trousers. Though considered woman-friendly, in fact, wide pants aren’t all that easy to wear and at times looked cumbersome. Conversely, pairings of sleek sweaters and skirts with angled hems telegraphed the desired ease with uncomplicated allure.