If Fausto Puglisi is still relatively new to the fashion game, there's one aspect he's got down cold: The designer gives good quote. He certainly painted a vivid picture when he described his starting point for Resort: "Jackie O meets Andre Agassi." A lot can be gleaned from that statement—the Fausto girl is uptown and downtown, and she's feminine but not without a boyish edge. Puglisi was keen to touch all bases this season. That can be a tricky task, but he made a good go of it.
Another takeaway: Puglisi is America-obsessed. That fact came through clearest in his use of tie-dye (Resort's surprise trend) on everything from denim to crepe de chine and silk twill. On denim and chambray in particular, the tie-dye lent his new collection a more casual-than-usual aspect, as did the tanks and tees patchworked with white French terry. We could take or leave the logo sweatshirts emblazoned with the Roman symbol of Zeus or the word Spartan, but who can begrudge a fan a nicely priced gateway to a designer's brand? On the Onassis side of the uptown/downtown divide, Puglisi was playing with cut. He made his name with skirts that were part cheerleader, part ballerina, but here he was pushing a longer, slightly less look-at-me silhouette, dignified in its proportions. Try as he might, though, Puglisi can't rein in the exuberance—it's simply in his nature. Though the cut of a "nothing little coat," as he put it, was practically conservative, the leopard-spot silk cady fabric it was cut from popped. Something for every lady, then, as long as she's got a wild side.
