IT’S difficult to be an American designer these days. In one corner, the fashion Godfather – Europe - sets the bar high for civility and sophistication. In the other, America has its roots deeply entrenched in the practicality and comfort of streetwear. Which way to turn? Prabal Gurung, a shining new talent on the New York scene (though he was born in Singapore and raised in Nepal), ignored both templates and crafted his own specific vision of spring. Whereas last fall's show of decaying beauty, based on Great Expectations' Miss Havisham, was winning in its sweeping, literary romanticism, this season skipped the mawkish sentiments and headed straight to the boudoir to indulge in some more carnal delights, with invigorating results.
Gurung doesn't need to prove that he can make an exquisite dress—he's already done that—but his collection seems built around that garment's foundations. But there was an overriding sense of naughtiness shown, as if the designer realised that even the sweetest girl enjoys pleasures of flesh, and the act of seduction that precedes it. So out came the saturated variations of royal violet florals (some with beautifully rendered randomness, resembling a Rorschach test, others as if dripping with paint) on lovely frocks but with sliced inserts of netting to add an eyebrow-raising degree of lasciviousness. Wrapping around hip bones, streaking down backs (stopping just short of illegal), bursting seams along the flanks of torsos, and streaking up taut thighs was a parade of skin, skin, and skin, sometimes revealing more of the body than it covered. The smooth silkiness of the fabrics alluded to negligees and undergarments—modern day Maggies from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, so filled with desire that even their lingerie feels oppressive.
Wonderfully, Gurung navigated lush pieces of eveningwear into the collection without losing the prurient and exciting energy he was generating. Karlie Kloss wore a black body-con gown with geometric slashes proving that she's no prude. Even a frothy tulle train dragging on the ground hung at the end of translucent mesh laid over a leg-baring skirt. On top of all the this titillation Gurung enlisted the help of designer Zana Bayne, who has created custom pieces for Lady Gaga in the past, to create restrictive, fetishistic harnesses of rope and leather, partnered with strappy stilettos (made in collaboration with Nicholas Kirkwood), to add even more deviance to the proceedings. There were tamer dresses and jackets sprinkled in, but this collection wasn't for the faint of heart, which is perhaps why rapper Nicki Minaj, with a head of cotton candy swirls and oversized floppy bow, looked so pleased on her way out.
SEE THE PRABAL GURUNG SHOW ARCHIVE