To hear Nili Lotan speak about her new collection was to get excited about it. The designer seems to have been revitalized by facing a challenge in her own wardrobe: She didn't have enough in the way of dinner dressing options. And while there are many of us who'd surely not complain if Lotan never strayed from her winning, utterly wearable lineups of great knits and slouchy trousers, Resort made one glad that she did. Lotan channeled the dark, unfussy decadence of the '70s Paris demimonde: There was a goodly dose of Betty Catroux in tie-neck blouses and riffs on Le Smoking via gorgeous tux jackets in Japanese crepe. Mock-necks were used to chic effect (as on a true stunner of a loose satin gown with French cuffs) but tempered by small slits down the back to expose a flash of skin anytime you make an exit.
Lotan kicked up her heels with the fabrications here, sending out a lush spread of velvets (fringe, burnout, panne) and even a few numbers with iridescent black feathers. Lest die-hards think the Tribeca mainstay is getting too dressy, think again. This was an offering as effortlessly cool as any of Lotan's others. She's continuing to create her gorgeous knits and military pants, and even whipped up a new version of her best-selling long slipdress in—you guessed it—velvet.
