Wes Gordon has been working at Carolina Herrera for a year, but Resort is his first collection since the house founder stepped into an ambassadorial role. It’s a changing of the guard moment, conveniently timed during a preseason without the pressure of the runway. That comes in September. By way of introduction at a Resort appointment yesterday, Gordon said, “Not everyone knows this, but Mrs. Herrera is a funny, witty woman who loves a good time. This collection is for kindred spirits.” That’s a smart way to get a transition going, with honor and respect.
So, yes, Gordon’s debut was very much in the Herrera spirit—he described it as “anti-normcore”—but there were updates. It is softer; it’s brighter; and as befits the designer and his friends’ own youth, it has a younger, more effervescent sensibility. Gordon, for example, emphasizes cotton over the silk faille and mikados Herrera favored, even for evening. He pulled out a white cotton frock featuring a scrolling red print with an asymmetric bodice to illustrate. Daytime cotton dresses, meanwhile, have had some of the proverbial starch taken out of them, meaning Gordon eliminated shaping darts to let them fall in a natural A-line from the armhole to the hem. These are small, not necessarily sexy-sounding details, but they indicate that he’s made a close study of the Herrera codes.
On the more freewheeling side of the new developments was a rainbow-striped mink cape that he paired with a rainbow-striped chiffon gown, horizontal in the first case, vertical in the latter. Gordon observed that the look was just this side of camp; what that says is that he’s not afraid of risks. Elsewhere there was a slew of evening looks that women who go out are going to want to wear, but top among them were a vivid yellow T-shirt gown printed with tiny hearts and stars and boasting an open back, and a lilac tulle strapless style with heart-shaped point d’esprit. More of that playful, almost-camp-but-not sensibility came through in his furs. Both minks and a fox were intarsia’d with hearts. These gave you a “daughters of” vibe, as in longtime Herrera customers might take a pass, but their daughters will be tempted. Not a bad start at all.
