TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
Patti Smith's 'Because the Night' - you've got your foot in the grave if this doesn't evoke an emotion in you.
Running home and listening to her on You-Tube was the first thing I did after getting home from previewing the Ports1961 Resort Collection.
I'm a lucky girl. Lucky in that Tony Alcindor, Ports' uber-gracious [and fun to hang out with] VP of Communications, let me take a sneak peak the day before the show. The show was, of course, great - heard that a week later from blogger buddy Judi Ecochard. Ports' resort shows always are, and beat-out the big-deal spring and fall shows.
I love nothing more in fashion than the scene backstage and to see the creative process in action. The day before, they were busy setting the mood for show. Patti's voice was on the speakers, speaking though, not singing.
I got to roam about the racks and draw my own conclusions before going into Tony's office to chat for a few minutes. The eighties references were all there, hanging on the racks.
The muse, his assistant told me, was PATTI SMITH. Of course! The easy separates, flowing dresses and pinprick size perforation treatment on the leathers all spelled P-A-T-T-I. Other telling details were grommets and the cobalt blue. Everyone in the eighties owned at least one thing in this "it" color. While I liked the structured pieces for work, cocktails, I LOVED the easy flowing black black dresses w/ a plasticized finish. These pieces are meant for living and like the new resort, serve you year round not just for a quick Caribbean get-away. The deep armholes gave the tees Patti wore rockstar status 20 odd years back, and now Tia's given it to us in a more refined version.
Patti’s an interesting fashion muse. Even young, you couldn’t call her “beautiful” as many icons were [Grace Kelly, Babe Paley,Marilyn Monroe, Liz Taylor] but Jane Birkin, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy weren’t gorgeous either, but they WERE captivating and unforgettable. Patti falls in that category, no question. It’s hard to beat her muse resume – roommate of Robert Mapplethorpe, and a rock icon.
I left the studio with the inspiration statement that would be on the seats the following day. I wish I had the space to copy the whole thing, as this one was really well-done and totally on target. Nice job - Ports team!
Here though, is a snippet I have to share with you.
"Inspired by paradox and contradiction, Tia Cibani takes pre-spring 2011/resort to a state of fragile poetry enhanced by the rocker's edge, where masculine and feminie boundaries are blurred, resulting in a unique and modern androgyny."
To see what else Ports has to offer, visit www.ports1961.com
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