The new 89th Street outpost of Salon 94 played host to the Carolina Herrera show. Its high-ceilinged gallery was likely a ballroom 100 years ago, and the ballgowns were back tonight. Over the last few seasons, with the lockdowns of the pandemic, designer Wes Gordon was focused on lower-key fare. But as the culmination of the brand’s 40th anniversary celebrations and in anticipation of a post-pandemic reemergence—at last—Gordon made a showcase of Herrera’s trademark sense of occasion. A black-and-white striped duchesse satin strapless long dress, and a full-skirted gown with voluminous sleeves in red silk taffeta had the pomp and circumstance we remember from the house founder’s heyday.
But Gordon didn’t shirk his own playful verve, either; he’s been growing more confident in that regard. The opening looks included two thigh-baringly short cocktail dresses in black-and-white and a pair of terrific tuxedo reinterpretations, with expressively sleeved shirts and high-waisted, tapered, and cropped pants. Bralettes and shorts were youthful touches that we wouldn’t have seen here in Mrs. H.’s days, but were very much in line with trends on other runways. Sometimes, Gordon and his collaborators tended to over-embellish, be it with oversized beaded earrings and necklaces or with large circular metal belt buckles. A sequined oversize gingham motif read a bit flashy, and the moment for logos seems well behind us.
Another gown that lingers in the memory combined bright pink, red, and midnight blue taffeta—a surprisingly pleasing color combination, and one that Carolina Herrera herself might’ve approved of, if memory serves.
