Thursday, February 17, 2011

Best of New York Fashion Week

Marchesa FW11

by Grace Gordon

It’s always a thrill when a designer breaks the mold, and that is precisely what Marchesa has done in this collection. Known for their romantic gowns, Marchesa kept this prototype but improved on it exponentially. This fall season, their gowns were voluminous, subversive and breathtaking. There was an air of dishabille around this collection, and it was purposeful as Marchesa worked from a premise of deconstructed romanticism. These could have been pieces from Miss Havisham’s trousseau, had she existed today.

The show opened with an oversized cherry red coat dress with giant shoulders and voluminous draping around the front and down the sleeves. From there, Marchesa took us further down the rabbit hole. Outfits became more whimsical and madcap as the collection progressed. Asymmetrical cuts were paired with unfinished tulle hems which resulted in a distinct “bride come undone” look. Rorschach inkblot patterns ran beguilingly down the front of several dresses. Models stood in Victorian jackets, trapped in a pool of sheer lace fabric that created a circular train around their feet. Petticoats added ballerina tutu volume to gauzy skirts. Embroidered floral patterns floated in lovely haphazard layers over a light dress. The gowns and frocks in this collection look like they weighed next to nothing, but layers of tulle, lace, silk and embroidery add up. Massive, billowy skirts and sharp, angular shoulders added astonishing elements of surprise to some of the dresses. This was a seductive, entrancing collection – each gown with such merit equal to the next that you can’t help but want them all.