Your trusty correspondent returned from a holiday in Mexico just as the New York cold snap set in. This being a particularly frigid and blustery afternoon, hearing that Cédric Charlier's latest collection had been inspired by his monthlong road trip around Mexico came as a bit of a blow. The clothes softened it. Charlier tends to be a low-drama designer, but his sojourn in Mexico appeared to have whetted his appetite for grand flourishes: Pieces such as a black-and-white fringe skirt were definitely designed to be noticed. Ditto fabrics like Charlier's painted check or giant-dot jacquard. One way the designer found to make a statement, without totally selling out his signature understatement, was by showing matchy-matchy looks, like a golden yellow tunic top paired with wide-leg pants, both knit, or a silk floral sweatshirt teamed with trousers in the same material. Customers needn't wear the pieces that way—they are separates, after all—but Charlier's proposition was convincing. There was also something a little pajama-ish about the idea, which communicated a sense of ease. Draped silk dresses in black or in blanched coral had a similar effect, though the collection's slender overcoats proved that Charlier hadn't thrown his instinct for discipline out the window. The item that will fly out of stores was the one that fused discipline and free-spiritedness best: a buttery-soft, faux leather pencil skirt, with long fringe ringing the hem. The skirt was matter-of-fact, but it had daydreams.
