Antonio Berardi, like a lot of his designer peers this season, landed on the late sixties and early seventies as a starting point. Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin are his new muses; their glam excesses influenced his Resort collection's vivid color scheme, rich textiles, and intense embroideries. A double-breasted suit with cropped flares looked like it could've been plucked from Hendrix's tour wardrobe, and a long, lace-trimmed trapeze dress would've delighted Joplin, but neither of them knew fabrics as fine as these. The midnight blue silk dévoré he used on a trio of dresses was particularly gorgeous, and a whole lot easier to wear than the bright pink exploded menswear checks on other numbers. Berardi is known for an anatomical fit. More often than not here, frocks flowed freely from the shoulders or flared out from a defined waist. It's Resort, after all, and he was clearly after a bit of ease, but there's no escaping the fact that he's at his best when he's thinking along the hourglass lines he's made his signature. The narrow white sheath with dramatic lacing up the back will be a hit—no Joplin tie-in necessary.
