Dennis Basso titled his Resort 2020 collection “Over the Rainbow” and the mood inside his showroom on Madison Avenue yesterday was indeed bright. The designer referenced tropical climates, places near and dear to the Basso customer like St. Barth’s and Saint-Tropez, and the rainstorms that often occur in those paradises. ROYGBIV colors shaded his bold but pretty palette.
If it’s hard to imagine a mink coat lounging beachside at Le Club 55, Basso managed to reposition the idea of where one can comfortably wear fur with this collection. A lightweight mink bomber jacket could work over a bohemian dress for a breezy evening on holiday. In fact, Basso’s entire lineup felt a bit more versatile than some of his recent collections, thanks to pack-and-go pieces like a cute embroidered bustier and shorts set, a ribbon stripe shirt and pleated skirt, and an easy floral print day-to-night dress.
On the more dressed-up side of the story, red carpet–ready drama came in the form of a black organza-and-tulle gown with hand-embroidered asymmetrical sequin details and a faille-and-gazar dress with ribbon trim at the waist. Cocktail numbers, meanwhile, came with rainbow pleating or shimmery fringe.
