For Daniel Del Core, inspiration comes from the places he visits on his faraway travels. No lazy sunbathing on sand beaches with a martini on hand; rather adventurous destinations challenging his perception. There’s a bit of the explorer in him, and spartan camping in the thick of a tropical jungle is his idea of heaven. A keen surfer, he’s also a semi-professional diver. The undersea creatures he encountered on one of his 260-foot dives into the ocean’s depths in Mexico mutated into pictorial prints and fluttering shapes in the resort collection, which he called Abstract One.
Intended as a sort of compendium of the flamboyant themes he develops for his runway outings, Abstract One is an offer of everyday and occasion pieces related in spirit to the label’s couture-inflected concoctions. Do not expect any literal translation into overt practicality though. Del Core’s idea of a functional wardrobe included tailored pantsuits with bejeweled buttons replicating coral branches; slender city coats printed in a whimsical pattern inspired by breaking waves, and rendered in a dégradé of silvery hues; and elaborately constructed trench coats in algae-green nappa leather which can transform into two-piece ensambles via a play on hidden-zipper closures.
Obviously what Del Core excels at is the occasion repertoire, and even if he toned down his verve for the Abstract One exercise, he couldn’t help but come up with a few spectacular pieces. Riffing on the marine creatures theme, a pale pink asymmetrical poplin skirt was finely pleated to billowy effect, recalling the underwater motion of a jellyfish; a bustier evening gown with matching cape in airy silk mesh and hand-draped organza had the translucent grace of sea anemones; and an elegant column dress with ruffled bodice was printed with undulating waterbodies “as if they were floating on the surface of the dress,” he said. Del Core is eager to get to his next hard-core scuba-diving adventure. Where will that be? He was mum on the subject, but one can bet he’ll decamp soon enough and come back with more new inspiration.
