Tia Cibani's muse was an imaginary creature she called Lassair, which translates from Gaelic as "Flame." It was all about mythology, her program notes explained: "Ports 1961 falls under the spell of a Scottish winter with its dark moods and whimsical auras that tease the subconscious mind."
Unfortunately, the spell was so complete that Cibani failed to realize that parts of her Fall collection had been magically turned into costume by the powers of over-styling. It was difficult to conjecture where a woman could wear a bandeau dress with a large wooden buckle at the bust. And a faux-fur cloak not only read Braveheart but obscured what looked like a desirable slim dress underneath.
Thankfully, a few similarly of-the-moment dresses did make it into plain view, including a cable sweater version in a rich shade of green and a jacquard number that was ingeniously draped and tied in front. The pants were also well tailored (which can't be said for every runway this week). But in order to move forward, Ports 1961 needs to put less emphasis on storytelling and more on clothes that work in real life.
