Skip to main content
BoF Logo

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

Carolina Herrera in the Hothouse

Designer Wes Gordon ignored autumnal conventions, showing bright colours and plenty of florals with impressive gusto.
By
  • Lauren Sherman

NEW YORK, United States — If this New York Fashion Week is about rule-breaking as a survival tool, Wes Gordon's rebellion sure looks different than the others.

The Carolina Herrera creative director, installed in his post for almost a year now, staged a conventional runway show in a conventional venue — the dignified New York Historical Society overlooking Central Park West. But he gave a very polite middle finger to the idea of what "fall clothes" should be.

“We’re not a basics brand, we’re not a utilitarian brand. We’re an emotional brand,” he said at a studio preview. “I’ve always been more excited for Spring and Resort here because the colours make me happy. There’s no reason that can’t be who we are year-round.”

After all, the product does ship in July. And Gordon’s customer, who is buying glam dresses for social outings, could very well live in or be traveling to a climate where one-shoulder mini dresses make sense all year long. So he worked in “taxi cab” yellow, cerulean blue and shades of poppies, keeping the prints to a minimal and the silhouettes exaggerated.

ADVERTISEMENT

The suiting was mostly a miss; the cut-out on the waist of a few blazers felt too harsh for such an airy collection. Where Gordon really excelled was in taffeta, tying a hot-pink cummerbund tied like a floppy bow around the waist of a black trouser and taping the inside hems with contrasting colours.

There were upside-down tulip ball skirts in the tradition of that Raf Simons-for-Jil Sander collection, but they felt more "inspired by" than a flat-out copy. And there were also plenty of Herrera-isms, including a long white dressing gown that served as an exaggerated version of the designer's favourite shirt. (Sitting in the audience today, though, she chose a more subdued glen-plaid dress and matching blazer.) For the fairytale moment, a pale pink tulle one-shoulder number, slashed with a shot of hot orange, did the dreamy trick.

As for those who are looking for something to keep warm during the winter months, Gordon's coats, included a black proposition with a sash draped across the front, and an a-line style in flamingo pink, were plenty "fab," as he put it. Fab, indeed. And maybe that's all it needs to be.

© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions

More from Fashion Week
Independent show reviews from fashion’s top critics.

What I Learned From Fashion Month

From where aspirational customers are spending to Kering’s challenges and Richemont’s fashion revival, BoF’s editor-in-chief shares key takeaways from conversations with industry insiders in London, Milan and Paris.


view more

Subscribe to the BoF Daily Digest

The essential daily round-up of fashion news, analysis, and breaking news alerts.

The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
CONNECT WITH US ON
BoF Professional - How to Turn Data Into Meaningful Customer Connections
© 2024 The Business of Fashion. All rights reserved. For more information read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Accessibility Statement.
BoF Professional - How to Turn Data Into Meaningful Customer Connections