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The easy, sensual flow of his cocktail dresses and the lovely chiffon gowns sent many a heart swooning and hands reaching for their cellphones, making urgent appointments to visit the showroom at 550 Seventh Avenue

   This collection was near perfect in achieving its goals. The men’s style tailored suits were fantastic, an excellent example being his taupe–stone silk tattersall double breasted pantsuit paired with a matching Balmacaan coat (worn by Dianne De Witt). Other fine examples of Blass-esque fine tailoring includes the classy navy–white pinstripe linen blend double breasted pantsuit and the champagne–white silk and cotton Jacquard dinner suit worn paired with a floral embroidered racer back blouse. I have often wondered why a woman seems to look so much better in a man’s suit (à la Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria). And I now know the answer. When it’s done right, they simply do, no further explanations needed.
   I thought his pink confetti tweed skirt suit with an understated floral embroidered scalloped hem was right on the money. It hovered just above the knee, the perfect length for the customers he’s looking to serve.
   But the Blass essence was most seen in the eveningwear pieces, especially the gowns. The full force of his legendary good taste could be seen in Mr Vollbracht’s burnt taffeta gowns, the easy, sensual flow of his cocktail dresses and the lovely chiffon gowns that sent many a heart swooning and hands reaching for their cellphones, making urgent appointments to visit the showroom at 550 Seventh Avenue for fittings. Here was where youth was best served by Mr Vollbracht. Who can deny the beauty of Liya in a silk chiffon halter evening dress? It was if a star came down from the heavens when Carmen Kass appeared in an iridescent taffeta ball skirt (topped by a knit tobacco and bandeau bodice). The highlight, of course, had to be Karolina Karkova in a stunningly beautiful rainbow-coloured chiffon gown.
   Of course, I did say ‘near-perfect’. A couple of the designs, mainly the school marm-ish navy see-through blouse with the white silk collar and cuffs, just seemed too dated, even for me. And the floral print strapless gown of his was far too busy. If it was an A-line cocktail dress with a dusting of floral accents, it would have been a much better fit within the overall collection. Mr Blass, you see, was the master of the understatement. He didn’t give away the whole store when a small sampling would work just as well, if not better.
   There are, of course, many different opinions regarding the success or lack of in Mr Vollbracht’s début collection. In some quarters, it was mercilessly panned, while others deemed it a qualified success. But in the court of popular opinion, the only opinion that matters is what the intended customer thinks of the clothes. As far as I could tell, the ladies loved them. Their socialite daughters and other female relatives loved them. The stores were suitably impressed. If the goal was to get the customers buying again, they succeeded magnificently.
   Now comes the hard part. Mr Vollbracht and his design team now have to build on this success by putting even more of himself (and what he believes in) into the designs without losing traction come the showing of the fall 2004 collection. He has to make calculated risks in moving the brand forward.
   Now would be the right time to relaunch the perfume line or to launch a new fragrance. Beefing up industry and public awareness of the various licensees’ products already on the market would be most prudent. This is not the time to take tentative half-measures. A certain level of boldness is called for here. Success begets success; and seeing that the company has finally achieved some stability on the design front, it would be a shame if it was all for naught. •

Phillip D. Johnson is features’ editor of Lucire.