A film buff, Barbara Tfank often cites celluloid. This season, she had her eye on the madcap glamour of Carole Lombard and Irene Dunn in the screwball comedies of the thirties. "It was about wearing your best all the time," Tfank said of movies like Twentieth Century and The Awful Truth. "You know, wearing your gown to breakfast."
Tfank went for a soft-focus lens, with a fresh white floral bloused-back column taking the spotlight. The designer's forte, however, is still the impeccable construction of her dresses and coats. For day, she cut crisp white and navy piqué into slim pants and a jacket. Champagne hour, it was all about shine, with slim sparkle tweed and metallic cloque shifts, and an almost glowing fuchsia lamé party dress. Co-starring were Tfank's collaborations with the shoe designer Olivia Morris: silver and gold leather sandals and pumps covered in vintage Bianchini-Ferier fabrics from Tfank's collection. One pair, in a china-print pink brocade, was worn with matching high-waisted pants and a fitted jacket. In today's jeans-and-T-shirt world, being so well turned-out and matchy-matchy is about as offbeat as you can get.
