Bill Blass

NEW YORK, February 7, 2008
By Laird Borrelli-Persson
For his debut at Blass, Peter Som played with "a mix of luxurious opposites": masculine/feminine, high/low, day/evening. So, to a remix of Depeche Mode's 1990 proto-emo hit "Enjoy the Silence," models marched in jaunty outfits inspired by original Blass lookbooks from 1969 and 1970. "I was fascinated by the clothes, but also by the photographs, which are beautiful in themselves and tell so much about a place in time," Som said. There was a refreshing splash of woman-power appeal in the trouser suits and sharp tuxedos, which traded punches with a cadre of cocktail dresses dramatized with elaborate beading, feathers, and eyelash fringe. Although Som said he pictures the Blass woman as a bit more pragmatic than the woman who wears his own Peter Som label, this collection tilted more toward dressing up than dressing down. No, it wasn't the Second Coming, but it was a promising first go.