It was nice to see a Carolina Herrera collection infused with so much polychrome that one couldn’t help but feel . . . well, upbeat. In a moment where many are suffering—be it by nature, politics, the times as they are—every little bit of optimistic output helps. And the feeling went especially deep considering that today is one of the saddest days in New York City’s history. It was almost as if Herrera was suggesting: Be extra happy about the things to be happy about; minimize the weight of the heavy world and enjoy, even if in tiny beams, the instances that do count as a reason to smile.
That might sound paradoxical—harping on the ebullient when woe abounds elsewhere—but it resonated. Herrera’s show opened with a gingham series, which held true to what the designer said backstage: “I did big shoulders, tiny waists, and a lot of movement in the skirt.” The second look was a puffed-arm version, essentially, of Herrera’s trademark white blouse, albeit knotted tight around the middle with a pale green, checked midi-length skirt shifting below. The runway progressed with a total run of the CMYK spectrum (extending to multi-tonal shoes made in partnership with Manolo Blahnik). At times there were veer-offs that didn’t quite gel (intermittent ’80s vibes might have been too full-on), and it was at her simplest and most saturated that Herrera was most convincing. A light denim calf-length dress with hand-painted rainbow buttons was utterly daytime chic, as was a chiffon one-shouldered dress with ruffling at the diagonal neckline and a terrazzo floor print (which reminded this writer longingly of the surfaces at his grandfather’s mid-century Florida home). A clean-lined dress with a fitted top and a looser body, banded in hues of what can only be described as an oceanic sunset, made many an Instagram story. The clean and the colorful; such is the prism through which Herrera shone.
Of further note: Herrera’s show this evening was staged at the Museum of Modern Art, the first time the institution has allowed a fashion presentation, perhaps thawing in advance of its upcoming fashion exhibition, titled “Items: Is Fashion Modern?” which opens in early October. However, Herrera made it clear that she does not create a garment based on inspiration from an artwork: “I won’t do a dress based by a painting. Only the color,” she said. Fair enough. And finally, it should be said that there was a more youthful verve apparent, too, which comes by default with the vivid territory. “I have a lot of young customers. A lot of them. I have young daughters and I know what they want,” said Herrera. But she didn’t totally abandon her peer group and her long-term clients, either: “Sometimes, though, they want to wear what their mothers or grandmothers wore.”
