Johanna Ortiz’s Resort show was a leisurely uptown affair that kicked off with breakfast at the newly reopened Four Seasons restaurant. Though the designer lives and works in Cali, Colombia, she considers New York a home away from home. Her rolodex of stylish, high society Manhattanites is pretty impressive: Karolina Kurkova, Aerin Lauder, and Lauren Santo Domingo, an early champion of the brand, were all perched on the front row. Oritz likes to roll out the Latin American hospitality wherever she goes, be that a rococo vestibule in Paris or a smart, mid-century eatery in midtown. With palm frond arrangements dotted around the room and freshly pressed juices served outside, the event was a pleasant start to a day jammed with showroom appointments.
And yet if you were expecting a parade of brightly printed dresses, you’d be sadly mistaken. Ortiz has been drawing on an earthier palette lately, and today she wiped the slate completely clean, opening the show with a gently corseted white blouse and matching skirt, a look you could easily imagine floating down Fifth Avenue. The only thing vaguely tropical here were the orchids in the models’ hair. Still, Ortiz managed to import the spirit of her homeland in the collection all the same. What looked like a polka dot print turned out to be a ceramic-inspired motif on closer inspection, one that will be familiar to anyone who knows the country’s traditional earthenware. The graphic pattern worked well on a brown ’40s-style dress that was partially cinched at the waist with black velvet. That said, there was one floral print in the mix that was based on the angel trumpet, a flower known to be highly poisonous. “Beautiful and dangerous,” was how Ortiz described it. That moody sex appeal came through in a black party frock with a lace-front finish that was covered with the distinctive droopy purple and white blossoms.
Ortiz has been moving away from her frothy ruffles, but the balloon-sleeved blouses that were sometimes fastened with a bow in the back will satisfy the continuing demand for going-out tops. Like many designers this season, she also seemed to be resisting the call of Resort in the traditional sense. No sarongs or luxe swimsuits, just great dresses to wear wherever you choose to call home.
