Plain and Fancy
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| Oscar de la Renta 2013 Resort Collection checked jacket and shorts (Photo: Style.com) |
When you Google, “What is the opposite of minimalism?”, there is a picture of Oscar de la Renta right next to it. And when you Google, “Dapper, cultured, elegant fashion designers with great longevity”, you also get the same picture. Undoubtedly, these qualities and his consistent, artistic vision, have not only earned him legions of fans and admirers, but the 2013 Couture Council at FIT’s Artistry in Fashion Award, which will be given out in September.
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| Oscar de la Renta 2013 Resort Collection ivory silk chiffon dress with gold and ivory ombre paillette embroidery (Photo: Randy Brooke) |
Last evening, Oscar de la Renta showed his Resort 2013 Collection to a packed house (the venue was his sprawling West 42nd Street, 25th floor showroom). In attendance were Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, Linda Fargo, Annette de la Renta, and Shelby Bryan, Anna’s longtime beau. He went backstage several times before the start of the show. (Was the multi-millionaire, telecommunications pioneer, international business executive, and venture capitalist giving Oscar some fashion advice? LOL)
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| Oscar de la Renta Resort 2013 pink peplum (Photo: Style.com) |
Even though it was a dismal, cool, and damp evening, it was hard not to instantly get into a resort state of mind. Each seat had a little shopping bag filled with Oscar de la Renta’s new freshly fragranced Moisturizing Sunscreen Cream SPF 30, packaged inside a rectangular box covered with an abstract tropical leaf print. Running throughout the unabashedly dressed up and elegant collection, there was a decidedly casual laid back feeling. A hard to miss Caribbean vibe (not surprising since Oscar’s favorite getaway is his magnificent home, Corales, on the Punta Cana Beach Resort on the Dominican Republic’s eastern coast) was evident not only in the color palette (pacific blue, carnation, iris, peridot, and evergreen), but in the group of abstract florals — specifically, a black & white gardenia, and an over-scaled pacific parrot tulip print. Like all other Oscar de la collections, it’s all about variety, choices, and options in terms of shapes, lengths, and silhouettes. It’s never about just one thing. And that extends to the footwear as well. While glamorous high heeled sandals accessorized many of the dresses, low heeled mules proved just the thing for the sportier ensembles.
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| Oscar de la Renta Resort 2013 black cotton floral lace knit skirt suit (Photo: Style.com) |
Oscar each season works within his stable of beloved favorites, tweaking them just enough so that his loyal customers will have a reason to buy (not that they NEED a reason). This collection, like all others, was strong on ODLR’s tried and true signatures. Artful mixes of black & white? Check. Guipure lace? Check. Cotton crochet? Check. Beautiful blouses? Check. Ombre organzas and paillettes? Check. Tweeds? Check. Cotton Broderie Anglais? Check. Sequined and thread work embroidery? Check. Ruffles? Check. Bows? Check. Platine Lame? Check. Feathers? Check. Sculptural coats and perfectly fitted jackets and blazers? Check. Cocktail dresses and entrance making voluminous ball gowns? Check.
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| Oscar de la Renta Resort 2013 Pacific parrot tulip printed scuba pantsuit (Photo: Style.com) |
In addition, peplums, which have been going strong for about a year, were a recurring theme (shown as part of separate blouses, and were added to both short and long dresses). Pants, which are having a major moment these days, were given center stage. In fact, the first outfit out was a black & white gardenia printed high-waisted pant shown with a black & white guipure and sequined applique blouse. They were also shown cropped and narrow (scuba pants), and there were several shorts suits.
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| Oscar de la Renta Resort 2013 sequined baseball t shirt (Photo: Style.com) |
Speaking of scuba, there was an unmistakable sports and athletic feeling to the collection. Well, the London Olympics are coming up in a few months and it’s baseball season (Oscar’s good friend is fellow Dominican, Alex Rodriguez). But in Oscar’s hands, we’re not talking about average, run-of-the-mill sportswear. For example, a “simple” knit pullover was made NOT so simple thanks to the addition of sequins on cotton, and its pairing with a platine pleated lame mousseline skirt; and an evergreen and white baseball t was glamorized in silk and sequins, shown with a full organza gingham embroidered skirt. At the end of the run-of-show, it was explained that this top will be available for pre-order immediately following the show exclusively on TheFancy.com . Fancy that?
– Marilyn Kirschner
