Let other designers chase after the dwindling disposable income of the merely rich. Andrew Gn has set his sights on the superrich. In an odd bit of timing, the Singapore-born, Paris-based designer today debuted his made-to-measure Atelier line: 18 limited-edition outfits boasting lavish couture-grade handwork that start at $15,000 each. If America's financial turmoil had him worried, he wasn't showing it. Anyway, there's always Russia, China, and the Middle East.
India—the Helena Rubinstein version—was the inspiration for the collection. After a rather sober Fall, he laid on the color: canary yellow, violet, coral, azure, peony, and emerald green. Gobstopper-size crystals—too many of them to count—decorated necklines, waistbands, and hems. Gn's burgeoning costume-jewelry collection got big play, too. The models wore bib necklaces or big drop earrings and matching cuffs on each wrist. It sounds like an eyeful, but it all worked, especially the floaty paisley silk dresses. Gn doesn't specialize in understatement, but there was some to be found, if you were looking, in a black belted jersey tunic dress with golden metal embroidery at the neck and (it's all relative) the beautiful strapless brocade gown that closed the show.
