For the Spring 2008 Carolina Herrera Collection, inspiration transitioned from last season’s expressionist artist Edvard Munch to the famed interiors illustrator Jeremiah Goodman whose a-list clientele has included Elsa Peretti, Bruce Weber, Diana Vreeland, and Greta Garbo. The New York artist, whose monograph Jeremiah: A Romantic Vision was published in January, is known for his unwavering passion for architecture, theatre, design, and interiors. And like brushstrokes on a canvas, Mrs. Herrera imbued her 40-piece collection with watercolor prints and gouache-like appliqués.
“This collection is a lavish expression of a woman’s love for color and drama!” The program notes served as a preface to the luxurious unveiling accented with bold juxtapositions of varying hues and rich design details. The palette featured neutral staples in white, ivory, and black punctuated by the festive use of pool blue, pear green, brick red, peony pink, and Clementine orange. While dresses continued to be exceedingly popular, here the season’s silhouette was updated with modern cocktail shorts, elongated cardigans, and abbreviated jackets. Executed with summer’s universal themes of freedom and frolic, the feminine touches and intricacies here included oversized florals, grosgrain ribbon, circular lace inserts and overlays. The presentation opened with Leslie Feist’s infectious “My Moon, My Man.”
My moon my man
So changeable and
Such a loveable lamb to me
My care my coat
leave on a high note
There's nowhere to go but on
Heart on my sleeve,
not where it should be
The song's out of key again
My moon's white face
What day in the phase
Is the calendar page again
Take it slow
Take it easy on me
And shed some light
Shed some light on me please
This season’s schedule was moved up to accommodate High Holy Day Rosh Hashanah. New York Fashion Week opened the Wednesday immediately following Labor Day—the two day time-crunch had many industry insiders working tirelessly to finalize their collections, sewing seams in lieu of summer soirees. The Venezuelan designer and her team labored through the holiday weekend, shifting their focus from tan lines to hemlines to meet the advanced deadline.
Every season, I eagerly anticipate a handful of collections and Carolina Herrera always ranks high on my list. It’s one of the few brands that manages to be fantastical without feeling contrived; both aspirational and accessible for the thirty-something who is straddling that fine line between my trendy twenties and formidable forties. I often ask myself how it came to be that clothes that didn’t appeal to me five or ten years ago are now staples, the true workhorses of my wardrobe. Yes, there is currently a great wave of fashion democratization sweeping the industry with designers creating diffusion and mass-retail lines and stylists and celebrities, alike, mixing high and low. It’s more than a maturity, growing into one’s income or lifestyle, more than a level of comfort and self-confidence; many brands that once seemed too austere or somehow beyond my reach have received an injection of youth, with an updated approach. Mrs. Herrera is the epitome of ladylike chic and since her daughter, collaborator, and muse, Carolina Herrera Jr. has joined the company, the brand has maintained the elegance of its namesake while appealing to a new customer with a contemporary aesthetic that bridges the generation gap.
My favorite ensembles this season included: the floral fully embroidered silk gazaar dress with an elongated striped jersey cardigan; a coral floral chiffon shirt gown; the brick red silk gazaar cocktail dress, which wrapped around the bodice delicately opening [up] like flower petals; a strapless Clementine floral faille dress with black embroidery appliqué; the black and white floral tulle embroidered boatneck dress, and the strapless coral gazaar gown with ruffle detail.
In addition to her eponymous line, the Carolina Herrera lifestyle brand also includes the secondary line CH, bridal wear, accessories, fragrances, and cosmetics. Many collections shown this season reflected an all-encompassing approach; presenting both day and evening looks. After all, in today’s world a woman is juggling home, career, and social commitments. With her Spring 2008 Collection, Mrs. Herrera not only rose to the occasion, she continued to raise the bar. For day, there were delicate shifts and feminine separates made more playful with embroideries. For evening, her signature cocktail gowns ruled the runway. Much like the designer, the Carolina Herrera woman sparkles by night and day whether in floral frocks or bejeweled jackets. From business dinner to family holiday; from soccer match to society luncheon; from boardroom to bacchanalia—any one of these beautiful pieces will have you looking your very best. Carolina Herrera is an elegant woman who designs elegant clothes, but what I’ve always admired most about her—more than her lovely designs—are her impeccable manners, grace, and appreciation for beauty. Her collection always reflects these attributes and this season they were beautifully evidenced with the thoughtful and exquisite attention to detail; a flattering silhouette, and references to a celebrated artist.
Images provided courtesy of Felle Photography, for additional images and information, please visit, http://felleportfolio.com/
