The Ports 1961s/s2011 Collection Showing

TEXT, VIVIAN KELLY
Sometimes, waiting in line is worthwhile. In this case, I was on line outside the credentials office trailer talking to stylist, Miyako J, about how much we both wanted the jade green silk dress at the Ports1961 show yesterday. While the shoes were a visual treat, it was the wearability of many items in this collection that grabbed me. While I liked what Tia Cibani did for Ports, she seems to have had an edgier inclination than her sister, Fiona, who’s now at the design helm. Sometimes, it’s better to keep it simple. Take Miuccia Prada’s latest collection. She started off strong with a bright orange
dress with clean lines and proceeded to veer into alien territory, showing rugby striped dresses mixed with a cherub print fabric that frankly just looked….strange.

For the past few years Ports has packed the house, but this is the fullest I ever seen it. As at the Daniel Vosovic show the previous evening, the Ports show started with a shortie nature clip. The first few outfits mimicked a dusty desert and the models looked like well-dressed desert nomads. The surprise was the presence of black. I loved the flowing empire strapless with Swarovski bust, the blanket dress,
and the slashed fuchsia high neck
goddess tunic. The flowing batwing arms and well executed draping brought it all down to the essential part of the equation, something Tony Alcindor, Ports 1961’s VP of Communications, had talked about a month or so earlier, over lunch.
Said Tony, “It’s not that complicated. We’re here to create a collection of pretty clothes
that are on trend but not overly trendy, clothes that women will want to buy to wear for their busy lives.”
That said, I’d say, “mission accomplished”.