NEW YORK, Feb 15, 2010 / FW/ — The Salon at Bryant Park was a madhouse as hundreds of guests lost their cool clamoring to snap a picture of Carmen Electra, Michele Trachtenberg, and Whitney Port before the Rebecca Taylor showing.
Hotheaded drama added to the silliness as guests shouted at each other over accusations of seat-stealing. Once the frenzy was finally subdued, the lights lowered in anticipation for a show worthy of such a large, excited turnout.
What we got, though, was underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, Rebecca Taylor’s collections are always spot-on perfection, frothy and girly and totally wearable.
But a runway show should show a new collection, and while her pieces are always “fresh,” what we saw was a déjà-vu of styles she’s done before.
An effort was made to be innovative, with glittering tights peeking from beneath frilly chiffon frocks with feathered hemlines. The grey suede boots looked more like pants, as their tops reached the models’ nether-regions underneath micro-minis, a fun, exaggerated take on the above-the-knee trend.
Teal leather shorts paired with cropped jackets was an interesting play on proportions, and her paper-bag trousers were well-done, albeit done before. The outerwear, complete with leopard-print puffy jacket and vest, is worthy of investment once it hits the stores come late summer.
I predict that the buyers present were quick to place orders, and that the pieces will be eagerly snatched up by a multitude of stylish gamines. But it would be exciting to see the talented designer dive in to something less commercial.
[ANNIE KREIGHBAUM]
Photos by Edward Colelli
