by Grace Gordon

Peter Copping kept the Nina Ricci fall/winter 2011 reliably wearable and pretty, and to that end, commercially successful. Women look to the runway for three things: 1) Adventure and Art, 2) The next “new” thing, and 3) What they’ll actually be wearing next season. Avant-garde designers like Hussein Chalayan and Martin Margiela satisfy the first need. Groundbreaking designers like Miuccia Prada and John Galliano provide for the second, and the Nina Ricci brand is always dependable for the third. Despite the rigors of providing new, exciting fashion, the stuff that flies off the shelves are the jackets, velvet trousers, and sweet blouses that flatter and enhance the female figure. This is what Nina Ricci always provides in spades.

The name of this collection is “Portrait of a Lady,” but would be more aptly named in the plural: Portraits of Ladies, as this collection had a wide appeal to many different styles of dress. From the private socialite to the style-conscious schoolgirl to the perpetual party-goer, there were options here for most self-labeled “Ladies.” One thing is certain, feminine, romantic looks are warming our hearts for fall. Crinkly crinoline dresses and skirts, lace-trimmed tops, 50s-era suits, and rich velvet trousers were among the most appealing looks. If you want to look good and feel like a lady, this collection was made with you in mind.