If a cowgirl theme isn’t detectable upon first glance at the latest Nina Ricci collection, Guillaume Henry may well take that as a compliment. Design, after all, is the process of refining a reference; and at this maison in particular, refinement remains a constant—no hoedowns here. But having spent the past two years proposing an updated femme fatale, Henry now seems intent to explore a less specific archetype and with this shift comes a broader lineup. Hence the unexpected palette of sunset hues spanning a soft-shouldered suit in powdery rose to a corduroy blazer and skirt in deep turquoise. Ordinarily, such vivid color combined with the stretchy cling of certain tops, plus a recurring cutaway outlining the hips might evoke ’80s aerobics outfits as immortalized by Olivia Newton-John and Jane Fonda. Yet Henry kept things classy, such that any suggestion of sport was offset by sleek tailoring or else a sampling of customary lace. He transitioned from lingerie that defined some of his initial seasons to an interest in men’s underwear, pointing out the long johns origin in a cocktails-ready jumpsuit. Conversely, an unlined wool chalk-stripe fit so snug to the body that it became second skin.
For all these original innerwear interpretations, the outerwear showed off Henry’s knack for soigné nonchalance. Among the standouts: a cocoon coat in croc-stamped PVC with coin-sized perforations, the dressy down topper with an A-line back, a plush bomber, a papery leather trench, and a rabbit number with puffed shoulders. Those shoulders, incidentally, were a giveaway Western flourish (the five-pocket detailing was another), which he likened to a stylized Calamity Jane. Except in lieu of her dusty brown, he used a more urbane neutral that he dubbed “bourgeois beige.”
