“Traditional wedding dresses with a modern touch, that’s what I do,” said Angel Sanchez after sending out a dozen swoon-worthy gowns that balanced old and new. With the opening of “Manus x Machina” just weeks away, the designer’s decision to combine handcraft with tech touches by fashioning pieces of 3-D laser-cut mirrored plexiglass into floral embellishments was particularly on point. The plexiglass was applied with the same lightness as the hand-cut blooms on the show’s single strapless gown. Only one strapless dress? That felt like news in itself, as was the fact that some of the numbers had sleeves, a rarity in a bridal market that, of late, has become increasingly fascinated with revealing and body-con dresses. One wouldn’t describe Sanchez’s designs as covered-up, but his use of sheer illusion, overlays, and inserts celebrated the body while leaving something to the imagination. The power of innuendo was emphasized by the smooth soundtrack of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong songs.
Sanchez expanded his palette this season, with the addition of smoky grays and icy blues. The latter was the color of a bubble-hemmed gown that had a particularly luxurious sweep. He made use, too, of laces of many varieties, from threadwork to macramé, on gowns with couture-like, 1950s silhouettes. The success of this collection was the way that the past informed the present.
