A Clements Ribeiro show is always a glimpse into the deeply serious yet dreamy and creative minds of Suzanne Clements and Inacio Ribeiro. For Spring it was one better: a glimpse into their studio-slash-home. "It's kind of a journey through our house," Clements said backstage. "There's toile de Jouy. We have lots of botanical pressed things, lots of plants, lace curtains."
The close-at-hand inspiration didn't make for an enormous leap, but an evolution of ideas the designers have been pondering over a couple of seasons. That long midi silhouette to the calf became slimmer and primmer, the latter unavoidable when you're dealing with faded-wallpaper florals and lace. But something like a bright intarsia blocked twinset and striped lace pencil skirt was still far from being staid.
The duo seems to be in a happy and confident place. They know their strengths, and they're sticking to them. Topping that list: their techno-romantic digital prints. They figured heavily in the new pull-on-and-go athletic direction here of slim, printed silk pants and shorts with (chic) elastic waistbands and matching racerback tanks and boxy tees. "It's just what I'm in the mood for wearing," said Clements, sporting a version of the look from a recent collaboration with the Museum of Everything. That sort of easy separate is never a bad idea when you're looking to broaden sales. Still, pieces like a top with two florals engineered to look like raglan sleeves didn't seem like a cheap ploy to cash in. The show ended on a high note with a twisty op-art print thrown into the sweet mix: It had shades of Alice in Wonderland. Well, there's one girl who figured out that there's no place like home.
