Peter Copping was quick to point out that Pre-Fall marks a full cycle; he’s been at Oscar de la Renta for a year. In fashion time, 12 months go by in a flash, and Copping has made himself at home at the label rather quickly. The gorgeous collection he showed today follows an equally terrific Spring outing, but where that one had a Spanish flavor, this one owed a debt to his adopted home: New York, and by extension, America. “I wanted the collection to look like a patchwork, a rich mix, because that’s what I find America to be,” he said, explaining that he studied U.S. artists, Hollywood stars, and stylish Americans of all stripes for inspiration. Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, and Madonna mingled on his mood board.
As much as the lineup looked like any one of those icons, though, it also looked like de la Renta. The Oscar vocabulary is proving to be a boon for Copping, giving him a useful framework to modernize and build upon. The house signature skirtsuits and cocktail fare made appearances, but so did new looks with a cooler or more casual appeal, pieces like a zip-front, ruched-waist black dress or a fitted camel sweater with gold button detailing tucked into an A-line black skirt. A floral-print silk blouse worn with a pencil skirt in a slightly different print stood out for its Warhol-bright blooms.
As a rule, these lookbook pictures don’t do Copping’s palette justice. The yellow of a strapless column dress was tartar in real life; the light green of an embroidered evening sweater worn with a sparkly bordeaux skirt was mintier. Speaking of unusual color combinations (a penchant of both Copping’s and de la Renta himself), one of the prettiest evening dresses combined a bodice of petal pink paillettes with a long narrow skirt in red poppy and black. Expect to see it and some of its red carpet sisters on the awards show circuit.
