Each season, Dennis Basso tries awfully hard to give his fur stoles and beaded party dresses a fresh spin. To be sure, he doesn't always succeed, but Pre-Fall was different. "The feeling is extremely casual," Basso said. For the unabashedly uptown designer, casual meant weaving lynx and alpaca or sable and chinchilla on outerwear for a patchwork effect. The gowns, too, were relaxed a bit, the standout being a gold crushed-velvet tank cut on the bias. (A suede shift seamed with broadtail looked good, too.) He even succeeded in true daywear with a V-neck sweater and a midi wrap skirt—accessorized with a mink beanie and sable-and-alligator flap bag, the outfit managed to be approachable without losing that fancy Basso feeling.
