One of Narciso Rodriguez’s preoccupations this season was exposing the inner construction of his garments. The seams he used to engineer the body-conscious shapes of cocktail dresses and reversible coats were piped (sometimes in contrasting colors), accentuating the clothes’ workmanship. Few other New York designers could get away with it. Indeed, few would make the choice. In this moment of Instagram-, celebrity-, and streetwear-driven fashion, Rodriguez has become an outlier, devoted to his craft, of course, but devoted to his customer as well, in that what he’s making is seasonless, luxurious pieces designed to build on what’s already in her wardrobe.
Beyond this idea of showcasing the inner workings of items, Rodriguez returned to a project he highlighted last season: reimagining the suit. That doesn’t mean there were a lot of jackets here; in fact, there weren’t. Rather, he came up with alternative ways to create that pulled-together attitude, mostly with asymmetrical bias-draped and tailored tops. These ranged from subtle (i.e., in the same gray tropical wool as the trousers paired with it) to extravagant (i.e., one-shouldered, cape-backed white silk worn with black tuxedo pants). The latter would make a compelling black-tie alternative. But Rodriguez didn’t ignore more traditional after-dark fare. A deep-emerald-green tank gown embellished with large paillettes was cut athletically, almost like a bathing suit, while a V-neck gown in a collage print (of flowers and baubles) exuded a sense of whimsy that felt out of the ordinary for this designer. Credit for that might go to his 6-month-old twins, or to the fact that he’s simply doing what he loves, far removed from the celeb- and Instagram-fueled fray.
