When asked how they're settling into their newish role as creative directors at Cacharel, Ling Liu and Dawei Sun shrewdly circled back to their Fall inspiration of Amelia Earhart, a woman who by their estimation wasn't afraid of anything. (These two might be just as ready for a Republican debate as a Paris runway.) You can see where Liu and Sun find that confidence. As evidenced by last season's debut and today's showing, the pair has serious technical savvy. Their tailoring here of twenties-tinged coats and tapered trousers was full of all sorts of look-Ma-no-hands details. The knitwear was even stronger, with its zigzagging herringbone textures, a motif used, the designers explained, to inject masculinity into Cacharel's girlish DNA. See also the sweetly sexy skater dresses with sun-ray pleats flaring out from either side.
The seed of Liu and Sun's inspiration was ice crystals glimpsed through an airplane window, which led to the prismatic print and chilly blue palette, an unfortunate choice of hue that flatters few. You hoped for other color ways back at the showroom. The print that stood out, however, was the zigzag, quite cute in a pair of blocked palazzo pants that tricked the eye into seeing a slimmer silhouette within the wide.
Liu and Sun may be fearless, and quite capably so, but the element that's still missing is excitement. You have to wonder if the right consultant or stylist—preferably one that shies away from red and white tights—couldn't help maximize their obvious talent.
