ON the 25th floor of an unexceptional looking building dangerously close to Manhattan's Times Square, Oscar de la Renta opened his spring collection with a powerful, striking image. To an audience filled with the likes of Valentino, Barbara Walters, Rachel Zoe and an Olsen or two, de la Renta's first trio of creations were dramatic missives. Form-fitting bodices, two covered with lace caracos, spilled out into expansive, billowing skirts of taffeta, whizzing by in daffodil, emerald, and red - resembling fabulous parachutes. Next came a portion of virtuous white dresses made of eyelet lace. A coat-dress with three-quarter length sleeves and blossoming appliqués was a textural stand out. Day dresses in canary yellow and acid green were shown next in chiffons, tweeds and crochet. There was a passage of coral frocks and muddy brown ones, there were high-waisted sailor pants and streaked, sleeveless sheaths. A smattering of shifts were trimmed with tassels, hanging from hems or strategically placed on the torso and skirt, and cropped fur coats made an appearance too.
In other words, de la Renta was indulging in some decadent showmanship by presenting a variety of styles from far-flung eras with no major underlying theme except that they were all made with an industrious eye for lavish details. Day, night, work, and play were all covered with almost reckless abandon. The drawback to this was that, despite it being breathtaking, there was a lack of focus, no real through-line and his more excessive inclinations, like the plumped medieval princess gowns - complete with gigot sleeves - seemed out of place. Interestingly, the more contemporary pieces are where Mr. de la Renta truly shone, proving that he's not just a designer with red carpet appeal. Surely, dressing the Duchess of Cambridge is on everyone's mind, and it's a sure bet that she'd favour these smart designs of his daywear, which emphasized the beauty of the female form while remaining utterly chic and modern, any day.
SEE THE OSCAR DE LA RENTA SHOW ARCHIVE