While many brands have made grand announcements about going fur-free in 2018, that future does not seem likely for Dennis Basso. The designer has built his 30-year-old business on the stuff. This was one of Basso’s most weightless and colorful collections, two characteristics that may very well attract a younger generation of customers. Take a cropped mink jacket with a peekaboo tweed lining featuring stripes of saltwater taffy colors: It was something that could be worn into the evening with formalwear or thrown on in the daytime, paired with jeans for a high-low effect. Another standout piece was a blush leather and shearling coat with a regally sculpted peplum.
The second component to Basso’s collections is his eveningwear. This season, he wanted to show classic styles that transcend decades, suggesting that what worked for Rita Hayworth way back when could work for Rihanna today. A canary yellow dress with a high-cut slit and and straps that slid off the shoulders was a great example of that, though Basso’s biggest hit here wasn’t one of the va-va-voom Hollywood bedazzlers. Rather, it was the baby pink floral sequin slip dress with thin black straps, which added a subtle yet stellar touch of contrast. For something entirely different there was a snap-button track pant made out of soft-to-the-touch tweed and a jersey stripe of shimmering sequins.
