We were at The Plaza Hotel for Carolina Herrera today. Backstage, designer Wes Gordon pointed out that the house founder put on a show here herself back in 1984. Fashion, by its nature, is about the past, present, and future, but that doesn’t mean balancing brand heritage and the demands of modernity is an easy job. Chez Herrera, Gordon has been at it for nearly five years, and this spring collection was his most assured yet. Though it was a thoughtful gesture, the location didn’t really have anything to do with it. His confidence came from the rightness of these clothes.
Take the first look, which combined a navy-and-white bias striped cotton blouse with a yellow floral chiné ball skirt. It’s pure Herrera. “I feel really at home and comfortable now,” Gordon said. “The key is to just embrace making beautiful, happy clothes and not apologize for that. That sense of joy is what our clients come to us for.”
Joy has lately been in short supply. So Gordon made a point of printing florals on a range of materials; beyond that chiné, there was ball-ready silk faille, delicate silk chiffon, even sturdy cotton gabardine which he cut into a well-fitted trench. A strapless red number from which a sculptural red rose detail bloomed over one shoulder was fresh off the plane from the Toronto International Film Festival, where Kate Hudson wore it to the premiere of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story. But happiness is a 24-hour-a-day operation here. Gordon pointed out that there were fewer special occasion gowns than usual.
To round out the collection, he showed striped and solid stretch knit numbers; a pair of white hand-crocheted styles finished with black ribbon; a couple of dark-rinse denim dresses, both punctuated by a wide waist-cinching belt; and a plunge-front bustier jumpsuit—different, but still familiar. Mrs. H. gave him a thumbs up as he zipped down the runway for his bow.
