Carolina Herrera
NEW YORK, September 15, 2003
By
It may have been gray and muggy outside, but inside the Bryant Park tents at Carolina Herrera’s spring show it was all blue skies and lavender-scented Mediterranean breezes. Inspired by the languid, light-soaked Riviera photos taken by Jacques-Henri Lartigue at the turn of the last century, Herrera sent out a dreamy, pretty collection with full-spectrum appeal.There’s a new team in the Herrera office, since earlier this year the designer named her daughter Patricia Lansing as designer and Herve Pierre Braillard (ex-Bill Blass and Vera Wang) as design director. Herrera’s trademark elegance is still the guiding force, but there are other influences as well, offering a lighter, sexier feeling with occasional sporty accents. One key piece was the racer-back tank; it opened the show in sheer ivory cashmere, went through a series of embellishments, and ended up black, beaded, and paired with a floaty ivory georgette skirt.
The palette was limited but not dull: Ivory and black were set off by pale pink, a rosy brick, and shots of lemon yellow, plus a few meandering abstract prints. Fluttery chiffon and slinky jersey dresses were often topped by crocodile link belts or trimmed with wide striped ribbon, while smart, slim day suits got a dash of contrast topstitching. Even without Biarritz on your itinerary, this collection will guarantee you a place in the sun.
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