Narciso Rodriguez shook things up when he moved from his longtime location at the Bryant Park tents to the Exit Art gallery on Tenth Avenue. His collection might have benefited from some subtle reworking, as well. If it isn't broken, it shouldn't be fixed. But the sight of Claire Danes in the front row wearing a lavender tank dress from his resort collection that was terribly similar to several he sent out for spring was not a great omen.
There were fresh faces in the audience, thanks to the simultaneous launch of his menswear line, and an accompanying sense of anticipation. He delivered on that promise in his women's collection by dropping his skirt lengths a few inches below the knee and outfitting his models with a low wedge sandal. He's turned the page on strictly monochrome dresses, and he played with piecing shades together, like silver, violet, and brown linen stitched into one dress. Other harness-back coats and dresses looked familiar, as did strictly seamed suits, and all lacked the sex appeal that made loyal clients of Danes and Rachel Weisz in the first place.
What did look fresh were his crystal-encrusted bodices and waistbands, and a pearl-covered net shell worn with a full voile skirt. In a season that's shaping up to be about rich, hand-worked details, these pieces made one long for more, in the form of some full-length gowns equally embellished and luxe.
