The look that stood out on Gabriele Colangelo's runway tonight was an ivory dress—sleeveless, with a bias-cut drape that twisted around the torso and hitched from one hip, falling gracefully to a few inches below the knee. It incorporated some of the complicated patternmaking techniques that Colangelo is fond of, yet remained quite effortless in its execution.
Despite being rather minimal in spirit—there were no prints, and you could hardly say there was an excess of color—few of the other pieces here achieved that kind of easeful simplicity. Pants were sliced vertically at the front hem or affixed with large metal snaps at the thigh, which gathered excess fabric at the sides of the knees. They seemed unnecessarily complicated. Dresses and skirts came with vestigial bands of fabric of their own that were fastened asymmetrically here and there, while coats featured hems that peeled back on one side to flash whatever was or wasn't underneath. If the effect fell short of messy, it was certainly tricky. Colangelo has proved to be a rather precise designer over the years, but this collection might've just been too ambitious for him. He should go back to that languid dress and start fresh for Spring.
