Basso & Brooke is a brand defined by bold print. Each season, looking at the clothes made by Bruno Basso and Chris Brooke, you think that they couldn't possibly come up with anything more eye-popping, and then as the next season rolls around, they top themselves. For Spring, however, they pared back—sort of. Basso, who designs the prints, spun this season's tropical theme in a graphic new direction, fusing hothouse florals with galactic, constructivist motifs. His best efforts, such as the show-opening purple, yellow, and multicolored frond patterns, had a forceful simplicity. And Brooke, who cuts the label's clothes, did his partner's work justice by spinning them into grown-up, polished looks. A pair of ever so slightly mannish trousers in the purple frond and a strapless, rainbow-hued gown were the standouts—idiosyncratic yet sophisticated pieces that looked bang on trend.
Elsewhere, things got a little muddled. The show could have used some editing: Your brain can process only so many draped dresses in jolting digital patterns. That said, the dresses were uniformly good, with Brooke's draping nicely complementing Brooke's print placement. The knee-length day dresses were a particularly strong group: Simple yet diaphanous, they had a ton of punch but looked easy to wear. And the show resumed focus every time the designers pulled back on color—a black, white, and gray long-sleeved top and long skirt snapped the mind to attention, thanks to the furnace of bright yellow and green by the hemline. Looks like that, and the frond prints that opened the show, point the way forward for Basso & Brooke: Though their maximalist inclinations still have lots of appeal, this collection proved that judiciousness makes its own kind of impact.
