If one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, what is one man’s trend? For Cédric Charlier this season, it’s a gift that keeps on giving. The designer, freshly rejuvenated from a holiday in Palm Springs, took his inspiration from the ’90s—and judging by the exaggerated kilt skirts, shrugged-on nubby fisherman’s knits, printed layered T-shirts, and double-breasted coats, also a dash of the Perry Ellis collection that lost Marc Jacobs his job and earned him his 1992 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award. Charlier, for his part, cited the grunge movement, classic American movies like Thelma & Louise, and a blend of the masculine and the feminine.
There was a black-backed floral print put to use in suiting and separates; slick pleather pieces that, according to the designer’s PR, tend to sell out; and straightforward trousers in a slim tartan and gray pinstripe. Thin pullovers in gridded prints or off-kilter tartan checks were easy to imagine working their way into a modern wardrobe, and fuzzy knits cut to look like sweaters were actually shawls worn wrapped around the body rather than over it—a strange idea on its surface, but one that will work for those eager to attain editorial-worthy stylist touches with relatively little experience. An unduly romantic slip dress in nude—shown somewhat inexplicably with leg warmers under Birkenstock-style sandals—draped elegantly over the body, wrapping at the hip with a D-ring closure and defying so much easy interpretation (just as, you might note, Jacobs did his many ’90s critics). Sure, the slip dress is back, and we’ve known that for a while—but this one had points all its own to make.
