TIME & PLACE: NY Fashion Week,
Wed. Sept. 9, 2009 – 3:20P.M.
The Metropolitan Pavillion, 125 East 18th Street
Twice a year, rather like the Pilgrims taking a trip to Mecca, we attend New York Fashion Week. Every season, the Holly Go Lightly/Pollyanna in us surfaces and we hope to see some great break out of the box collections.
Firstly, the problem is, we don’t see everything.
Going to the shows is an exercise in handicapping and the belief in your decision-making powers. Invariably, you will miss a great show because you elected to go to the Tents rather than go off site to Milk Studios in the Forbidden Zone, or vice-versa.
Even if we were lucky enough to score tickets from PR Consulting’s Pierre Rougier, we might find ourselves not liking the latest L’Wren Scott or Narcisso collection. As it happens, we love what Ms. Scott is doing. Nicole Kidman looks wonderful in her long sparkly number and will look great wearing the little pink day dress, which has just A TOUCH of the “Mad Men” aesthetic. The problem with references such as these is that it’s easy to get carried away and verge into clothes that are more fitted for TV/Movie sets than for real life, as Mr. Tonner did in this collection.
This season, we decided to take a gamble on Robert Tonner. A good deal of this was due to the fact that he counts the legendary Bill Blass as one of his mentors. While Peter Som did a good job [go Peter!] in his brief time there, the late Mr. Blass’ shoes are too big for mere mortal designers to fill.
With that in mind, we sat at the Rober Tonner show and took it all in.
MR. TONNER'S CLEAN SEAMED TOPS AND EASY TROUSERS BORE OUT HIS TRAINING UNDER MR. BLASS. “American Sportswear” was the first phrase that popped into our minds when the black and white opening group came out. From there, things become more costume-y.
For evening, Tonner’s thinking pink - that is pink sequins. We never though sequins would drape well but they did in his Roseberry matte micro-sequin one shoulder mini dress. The strapless cocktail dresses and bright coat dresses did take us back to the early sixties and the had as the program hinted, “a look influenced by MADMEN”..
FAVORITE EXIT: #16, the cocktail party bound mist one shoulder top and peridot pants with satin ribbon and sequin embroidered lace detailing.
If you’re a fan of the early sixties and enjoy wearing texture and favor one shoulder styles, this is a collection you’ll buy into this spring.
We left the Pavillion feeling that Mr. Tonner could do very well designing costumes for movies and television.
Photo Credits
Image of Nicole Kidman at the Academy of Country Music Awards,
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
Image from the L’Wren Scott spring 2010 collection, by George Chinsee
Images from the Robert Tonner Show, from Robert Tonner's page on www.facebook.com
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