It’s virtually impossible not to get swept up in Oscar de la Renta’s confident vision of the luxurious life. The designer played to all of his strengths for spring, showing more of the pretty dresses, chic suits, and slim coats that have made him a touchstone of relaxed, modern elegance.
Judging from the cuts and colors of this collection, de la Renta has Palm Beach on his mind. He opened with a series of brightly colored dresses and skirts, some cut in a swingy, ballooning silhouette, others slim and paired with silk sweaters. The designer knows how to keep things young—by roughing up the edges of a turquoise silk skirt or tossing a boxy yellow alligator jacket over a slim white skirt—as well as how to dress those whose daily routine includes cocktails on the yacht (answer: a group of simple black dresses, each more Hepburn-perfect than the last, or a spangly pink pencil skirt worn with a cashmere top to fend off ocean breezes).
Turning up the volume for evening, de la Renta progressed from a long, cool pour of pink charmeuse, to a giddy yellow satin strapless dress covered in nosegays of silk flowers, to embroidered and embellished showstoppers guaranteed to make it a memorable night—red carpet or not.
