When Filip Arickx and An Vandevorst played to their strengths—delicate lingerie, smart tailoring, soft fabrics contrasted with stiff ones—their fall collection was great. They got off to a fine start with a camel group: a wrap coat, a full skirt, a backless fur gilet, and cozy cable sweaters that looked just right on the ice (the show was presented on a skating rink).
Where the A.F. Vandevorst designers stumbled was in the middle. It’s hard to picture their customer, a romantic tomboy of Belgian extraction, going for garish patterns or having much need for to-the-floor frocks. So a series of seventies-era tapestry prints was something of a misstep, especially one long halter dress suspended by a strand of faux pearls. The look worked somewhat better later in the presentation in black, but it didn't have the swing of a jet silk cocktail dress with lace at the neckline and hem, or a gray wrap skirt fastened with an oversize safety pin and worn with a simple black crew neck.
Many of the pieces were accessorized with furry boots and Mickey Mouse ears. The former looked spunky, but the latter seemed little more than a silly distraction.
