Catherine Malandrino began her Fall collection musing over the art of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, the French sculptors beloved by fashion folk from Pierre Bergé to Reed Krakoff. The Lalannes' often fantastical creations draw heavily on flora and fauna, and Malandrino conjured an enchanted garden on her runway.
The first look set the Gallic wood-nymph tone: an emerald silk shift with an intricate, openwork hem topped by an organza-leaf bolero that looked like Edward Scissorhands had cut it fresh this morning. It made the point, if not subtly. Malandrino is a designer who loves a motif, hence her liberal use of green and other woodsy hues, the introduction of an abstract leaf print, and the presence of that foliaged organza. Sweater-dressing was an integral part of the story (see the webby gowns, flirty little suits, and beastly bouclé cashmere jumpers), as was volume (the cocooned sleeves and linebacker shoulders). A bit much? At times, yes, but the excess was tempered by moments of simplicity, like a crocheted column gown with a matching leather bolero, both in basic black.
