Roksanda Ilincic
REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
LONDON, June 15, 2010
By
Roksanda Ilincic is a Gemini, and there was something of the split personality in the bi-colored pieces she designed for her third Resort collection—pants or dresses that were sand at the front, navy at the back. But the real split you could imagine was a division of opinion over the color she chose as her leitmotif. Not a fan of yellow? Then look away now. Ilincic took a spring break in Sicily, and she came back to London determined to capture in cloth the fields of neon yellow rapeseed she'd seen. And she did it. The fabric she chose for her eye-scorching shade was a silk gazar. Balenciaga loved its sculptural quality, ideal for his couture, but Ilincic opted for a more loosely woven variety that, while still holding its shape in a draped, bunched party dress or long skirt swept into an almost-bustle in back, had the sporty feel of Aertex. If it wasn't exactly the diversification into daywear she was talking about, it was certainly a fearless statement. It was easy to imagine the fiercely glamorous new Brit pop star Florence Welch, whose Vogue portrait decorated the showroom, fronting her Machine in Roksanda yellow.The designer's daywear dream was more obvious in woven silk jacquard pants and top (yellow the dominant thread) or a cotton T-shirt whose seams were articulated with lace. But the heart of Ilincic's collection was still the draped party dresses, the fabric gathered and stitched with one seam and falling away in an asymmetric point. She's studied the strictness of kimono-making, and there is something Japanese about the economy of this effect. But it can come close to an overload of droop, which is why the crisp definition of a white shift in slightly stiff silk jacquard felt fresher. This dress also fell into points, but they were like a charming reminder of Ilincic's grandfather's starched white handkerchiefs.
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