Prabal Gurung charted a new path for himself this season. Citing his long training at Bill Blass, he said he wanted to get back to "elegant, chic, refined clothes…American sportswear, but with couture ideals." Throughout the past couple of years, he has put an emphasis on intense, engineered prints and artful but complicated construction techniques, with results that have sometimes erred on the fussy side. For Resort, he streamlined things. It was most apparent in the eveningwear. Most of the gowns followed long, athletic lines, with color-blocking details adding to the sporty sensibility. The finale, in red, white, and black silk duchesse satin, was crying out for Cate Blanchett or another statuesque red-carpet superstar.
But, as Gurung pointed out, there was a whole lot more than event dresses here—sleeveless sheaths, of course (the most interesting in an acid-yellow wrap tuxedo style), but also other categories he's only dabbled in before, like knit separates. Everybody's got a waffle-knit sweater this season; Gurung sliced his at the waistband to give it a sleek fit. Another look worth calling out was the navy and white shirtdress with short sleeves that folded open to show off the shoulders—sportswear, but with a special touch, just as promised.
