The Carolina Herrera resort show was rain-soaked in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday night, but it didn’t dampen the Alegria de Vivre of Wes Gordon’s buoyant collection.
For the house’s first resort runway show, the designer brought Herrera from the ballroom to the beach, contrasting New York City-sophisticate black-and-white with a Copacabana rainbow palette.
“We’re taking Herrera codes and giving them Rio energy,” Gordon said of incorporating bikini tops, sarong skirts, short shorts, crochet, raffia and oversize sun hats into the mix.
Everything was cut closer to the body, giving it a new effortlessness, including a gorgeous, graphic black-and-white polka dot halter cutout waist gown with slit skirt that was ready to samba. A draped and ruched, one-shoulder dress in a tropical floral silk organza was also a standout.
On the more casual side, a fruity stripe cardigan and short shorts set and a black embroidered fringe crop top and miniskirt were frothy and fun.
It was refreshing to see Gordon working without all the corsetry and crinolines, as on a drop waist silk sundress with bow straps, made from a mixed floral silk faille that was actually cut from the a fabric mill test swatch.
The new ballskirt shape in cotton stripe gathered at the waist into a giant rosette, and worn with a slouchier version of the classic Herrera button-down shirt, also felt more accessible and fresh. And double-breasted boyfriend jackets, crop tops and cropped pants in seersucker stripes gave Herrera an entree into the relaxed tailoring category that’s on trend now.
The collection was presented on an all-Brazilian cast of models, and the atelier’s showstopping tulle looks in undulated waves of black and white paid homage to Copacabana Beach’s iconic Modernist boardwalk designed by architect Roberto Burle Marx.
While Gordon was visiting Rio for the first time, he’s always been inspired by the allure of Brazil, he said. “The color, the beauty, the joy, the sensuality and optimism.…Those are all words we use to describe Herrera as well.”
The first resort runway show was a significant milestone for the Puig-owned American fashion house, which joined luxury powerhouses Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Dior on the destination show map.
Herrera celebrated not only its ready-to-wear, but its fragrance, too, with an after party for the new Good Girl Blush Eau de Parfum.
Resort is Herrera’s biggest rtw sales season, Gordon told WWD during a preview, so it made sense to add a runway show for it. “Brazil is one of the biggest Latin American markets for us, and it’s in the top 10 globally,” he said of the fashion division. “But Carolina Herrera is the number-one brand in prestige fragrances in Latin America.”
Family-owned Spanish company Puig’s revenues reached 3.6 billion euros in 2022. The conglomerate aims to reach 4.5 billion euros by 2025.
Whether Herrera will have a permanent slot on the jet-setting resort runway calendar as part of that goal remains to be seen.
“The business has been growing at a fantastic rate, both internationally and domestically, in brick-and-mortar and online. The size and scale of the brand has changed significantly,” Gordon said. “But for me going forward, I don’t want to get in the habit of doing it just because we’ve done it before, where it becomes a checklist item. What’s important is continuing to think of new opportunities for us as a brand to do global activations as our clientele becomes more international.”
