There's a rumor going around Paris that Akris is dressing the Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, but we didn't see much that was campaign trail-friendly on the runway today.
The brand is known for its understated, chic tailoring and exquisite, expensive fabrics. Designer Albert Kriemler likes to show off the know-how of the company's textile mills in St. Gallen, Switzerland. So, tapping into the current see-through trend, he spliced the label's superclean jackets with sheer panels, suspended step-pleated georgette from illusion necklines, and layered pencil skirts over net slips. The overall effect, thanks in part to an icy gray, light blue, nude, and white palette, was light and unfussy. (Still, however refined it was, when politicians talk about "transparency," this isn't usually what they mean.)
What really stood out were Kriemler's flower-print silk georgette dresses. If not a first at Akris, they were truly an unusual sight. To make them, he had the famous mill pixelate photographs of gardens; the impressionistic results called to mind Monet at Giverny. Again, not exactly Sarah Palin's kind of thing, but we'll be paying extra-special attention at Thursday night's big debate.
