We’ve wrapped up another spring Fashion Week, culminating with shows from masters like Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, and Ralph Lauren. The critics swooned over Oscar de la Renta’s frothy eveningwear and Calvin Klein’s minimalist looks, but shied from Ralph Lauren’s kitschy fringe. Read the last of the critics’ New York runway reviews.
THE HITS:
Oscar de la Renta
• ” … a beautiful and savvily controlled collection, very romantic and very Oscar.” [WWD]
• “But Oscar de la Renta’s [evening wear] took the cake … these were from another time altogether.” [On the Runway/NYT]
• “De la Renta indulged just enough nostalgia to drum up an optimistic and romantic collection that could charm even the staunchest minimalist.” [Fashion Week Daily]
• “An enchantingly ladylike extravaganza like no other during New York Fashion Week (and one that makes us dream of debutante balls and romantic days of old), Oscar de la Renta’s preternatural ability to make antiquated styles relevant in a modern context is continually inspiring.” [Vogue UK]
See a slideshow of the full Oscar de la Renta spring collection.
Calvin Klein
• “Mr. Costa got simpler, but no less arresting … more relaxed and more romantic than in seasons past.” [On the Runway/WSJ]
• ” … a superconfident, uncompromising collection that shows everybody else how it’s done … For spring [Costa] stripped everything superfluous away, focusing on proportion and fit to persuasive effect.” [Style.com]
• “[The collection] looked deceptively simple, but was anything but … the designer crafted a series of easy-yet-impeccably tailored looks that were wonderfully spare without ever veering into severe … these are the pieces we’ll be reaching for, day in and day out, when the weather heats up.” [Vogue UK]
• “It was the kind of spare, sexy look that defines the smoldering minimalism Calvin Klein invented … it was impressive to see how Costa made such seemingly plain clothes feel completely relevant and new.” [WWD]
• “[Costa’s] hyper-obsessive focus on silhouette and shape resulted in a collection for Calvin Klein that will make his particular take on minimalism the maximum statement to take away from New York’s Fashion Week. So much to want! So much to buy! … at any rate — bravo.” [Fashion Week Daily]
See a slideshow of the full Calvin Klein spring collection.
THE MISSES:
Ralph Lauren
• “Though he does this Western wear for weekenders look well, and the clothes are always executed beautifully … there was also something a little kitsch about all that fringe. Practice makes perfect, but sometimes, it’s perfectly uninspiring.” [Fashion Wire Daily]
• “Ruffles got a workout, too, on the cuffs and collar of blouses and on the front of a particularly unflattering puff sleeved dress that managed to make the lithe and lovely Lily Donaldson look downright ungainly. In fact, many of the proportions here just felt a bit off, somehow, with the clothes looking too large for the women who wore them.” [Vogue UK]
• “Mr. Lauren completely ignored some of the season’s trends — such as the flowing long, wide silhouette of trousers … The deerskin [pants] looked delicious. I wonder if the pants will bag at the knees.” [Heard on the Runway/WSJ]
• “Mr. Lauren, in a fine show on Thursday, added too much beaded fringe, lace and metallic shine in his Western collection for it to be anything other than an appreciative take on the urban cowgirl … the cool elements strive to paint the town in beaded fringe.” [NYT]
