The third time was the charm for Guillaume Henry at Nina Ricci. Leaving behind the Carven ingenue for the femme amoureuse of Nina Ricci proved complicated his first two runway seasons at the house, but tonight he found his footing, and solidified the groundwork for the brand as he envisions it. Ricci’s three main tenets under Henry are strong but slightly off color, lingerie details including plenty of lace, and an emphasis on skins. Where Henry’s vision departs from his predecessor’s is in its incorporation of menswear; there was a lot of tailoring in this collection, and it was slightly oversize, with sleeves inching toward, and in some cases past, the fingertips. Is the Ricci woman stealing away from a rendezvous with her lover’s peacoat? You got the sense that Henry likes that idea.
Other things Henry likes: a sheer blouse in deep green lace or blue techno silk, tucked into mannish cropped pants or a midi skirt with a center slit all the way up to there. Those slits edged into immodest territory—they’ll need to be a few inches more demure at retail—but it was nice to see the delicate triangle bras underneath all those transparent tops. This way, they’re street-ready. Outerwear got a good deal of Henry’s attention, the best of the bunch being a shiny brown patent style and a black eel skin. Ricci’s raison d’être, of course, is dresses. Henry’s contribution to the ongoing slip dress conversation came in rivulets of silvery gray sequins. He also had plenty of the season’s de rigueur velvet, including a traffic-stopping red number with a peekaboo bodice to match the skirt’s dangerous slit.
