He transitioned quite easily into evening by
showing some truly elegant cocktail suits and pant sets. My favourite
was his lilac silkshantung cocktail suit sprinkled with beaded
blossoms. It spoke to me. The next five pieces were a variation
on the same theme in pink, yellow and brownall embellished
with beaded English blossoms. There was not one misstep in the whole
bunch. For those star-filled nights when you have to look your absolute
best, Zang Toi has got you covered there, too. There was a slight
Spanishflamenco influence in his brown silktaffeta "sultry
movie star" gown. It's a body-hugging gown that comes complete with
an attention-getting fishtail hemline and satinlaceorganza
cascading pleats. In this dress, you wow them coming and you wow
them going. For all-out, knock-them-dead glamour, one only has to
see his last four creations to be won over by his talent. His silk
striped Grand Manor Gown in ivoryEnglish rose
(complete with a pleated organza petticoat and mink borders) was
the height of red-carpet chic.
Beyond the designs themselves, the overall presentation
deserves an honorary mention. Between the rose petals scattered
on the runway, the vine-covered garden swing at its entrance and
the music, one couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. Many guests
took advantage of the swing, such as Vanity Fair's Amy Fine
Collins who seemed to be having a good time with her daughter. (And
the open bar before the show didn't hurt either.) Kudos also goes
to make-up maven Bobbi Brown and her crew, and hair stylist Eiji
for their contributions to making the show a rousing success.
The Vera Wang springsummer 2003 collection
proports to be about a fresh, light, nonchalant way of dressing
movement … contrasting tones and textures … and clothes meant
to float with the body. And more often than not, she succeeded
in that quest. She opened the show with a tiered chiffon gown topped
by a draped silk jersey bodicea signature piece that defined
her thought process. It was simple yet elegant, very much like her
narrow cut black cardigan paired with a waffle weave organza pleated
hip-hugger skirt. She delved into the roaring 20s with some
deliciously sexy flapper dresses.
My favourites include a chiffon pleated shift
festooned with miniature crystal balls and a kicky chiffon minidress
with a crystal pebble fringe. They were light, and moved well with
the body while still maintaining her well-known minimalist æsthetic.
I thought her fuschia chiffon hand-smocked halter dress was incredibly
beautiful, as were her draped black stretch jersey strapless Grecian
dress.
An instant Vera Wang classic has to be a platinum
hand-crocheted peekaboo dress and a sexy crystal swag-beaded gown
in the latter part of the show. I say they are classics because
they are destined to be more than one-season wonders.
But there are a few thorns among this beautiful
bouquet of roses. Hand-ruching and ruffles played an important role
in this collection, and that, ultimately, prevented her from scoring
a home run. The vast majority of the collection was so specific
in its minimalist uvre; the ruffles detracted the viewer from
their inherent beauty. I've always felt that, unless you are excruciatingly
cute and under the age of 12 with cascading blonde curls, a woman
has no business in a ruffled garment. There were simply too much
of the stuff in the collection: on the shoulder, down the back,
on the sleeves. Basta! The pink ruffles eloquently made this
point on a strikingly beautiful red floral chiffon gown with lace
seam work. It was one piece of embellishment too many.
The hand-ruching also got out of hand. One of
the dresses reminded me too much of that unfortunate Gynneth Paltrow
2002 Academy Awards show incident. She could have also dispersed
with several instances where epaulettes (ruffled, no less), lace
insets, and other embellishments worked against her in the worse
possible way.
In the final analysis, I liked the collection
because I admire Ms Wang and what she is trying to accomplish. Her
innate sense of style and elegance made this collection more of
a hit than a miss. Phillip D. Johnson
Phillip D. Johnson is features editor
of Lucire.
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