Kobi Halperin is still working his way through the archives after joining Emanuel Ungaro last year. He likens himself to a “kid in a candy shop” and the colors of sweets are apparent in the bright bonbon pink and cherry red that anchor the collection.
Shapes also draw on key looks from the house’s heyday — cropped slimline trousers destined to be tucked into ankle boots, flowing skirts and loose blazers with a subtle ’70s vibe tempered with Art Nouveau nods. In an inventive use of his iPhone, Halperin snapped a pic of an archival feathered piece, zoomed in and reinterpreted it as a print.
Save one dramatically shouldered jacket, Halperin doesn’t make any bold moves in this commercial collection. But he knows his customer, and lightens up the house’s historical couture codes in cotton, silk and viscose separates for a fall collection destined to hit stores in still-warm September. “The reality is that it is not cold in most of the world, and the consumer needs to have immediate satisfaction.”
Paris remains the headquarters and an inspiration for the New York-based designer. Is he planning a return to the runway soon? “I want to focus on the business first to make sure we earn it.”
