DORÉ

Resort is sort of the special season, when all of the collections get to relax…
(Not like they took a Xanax, but that feeling when, as a kid, you get to dress yourself – finally!)

There’s fun party presentations, destination locations (Vuitton in Palm Springs, Dior in the South of France… even New York for Gucci), and a multitude of tropically-inspired designs to see. But we don’t really get to talk about resort / cruise too much, so we thought it might be fun to take you along as the whole team and I venture into what has been one of the biggest seasons yet!

One of the things I love the most about these interim seasons is that the designers actually talk you through the presentations, may it be their inspiration or the technical aspects of each piece. Joseph Altuzarra is not only handsome but also lyrical in his narratives for the season. And there’s Mr. Michael Kors himself, live with a Starbucks cup in  hand, comically discussing each piece. Here’s some of my favorites from him:

“A basic coat. Hahah…” (It’s a fur deco inspired diamond coat, look one.)

“Basic shirtdress.” (Leather)

“A twin-set… sort of. A twin set for someone with a big account.” (Intarsia sweater with mink fur intarsia coat)
To the model, “She’s Russian, so to her that coat is Basic. The ‘Denim of Moscow’…”

“Is it a peacoat ? Is it a trench? Depends how tall you are…”

“I always love any shoe that looks like you ran out of the house to grab milk.”

After getting to meet your favorite designers and getting to see the collections months in advance, one of the bonuses is finding friends in fashion. During market, it’s unavoidable that I run into my friend Laura. Our text conversations are something like:

Laura: “Today feels like it should be Thursday.”

Brie: “I mean its not even noon and it feels like the EOD”

L: “I know, exhausted.”

B: “What appointment number are you on?”

L: “6 lol. you?”

B: ” 3 but I have 5 later. (gun emoji) Seen anything great?”

L: “Haha. I liked some things at Marc Jacobs this am”

B: “At Proenza now. So beautiful.”

L: “Oh yeah. Loved!”

B: “See you at Stella?”

L: “Yes! Just back at the office. Today is crazy no???”

B: “SO crazy! I’ve been at the studio maybe an hour”

L: “I know and I spilled green juice on my white t-shirt.  :-/ Happy Monday!”

So after days of appointments, presentations and multiple forms of transportation (I might have been the only editor to show up on a bike to the Stella garden party… but you better believe I didn’t hit any traffic either) –  I saw some amazing things.

Jewelry:  I like discovering the new collections that pop up, like LFrank and Jennifer Alfano. Both have a unique perspective on jewelry and the combinations they create (like a gold elephant ring with dusty diamonds  or a “triple baguette” bar earring with white sapphire, pink tourmaline and rubellite). Jewelry is personal, and you can really feel it.

Shoes: I LOVE shoes. I’ve spent more of my imaginary bank account on shoes than any other item someone in fashion might splurge for. And, unsurprisingly (if you know me), my most beloved are flats. Lace up shoes or a nice little slide. Robert Clergerie is legendary in their ability to always know exactly the brogue I’m interested in, and a real surprise was seeing a beautiful woven rendition at Veronique Branquino. (Who also did something interesting with her RTW by creating exclusively 15 dresses in black and white only. ONLY!)

Ready-to-wear: The thing you never get to see while scrolling through the shows online, is the details. To say they are incredible is even too muted, or too basic, a description. The immaculate detailing from pearls hidden as linear mesh inserts at Mugler, the tiny beaded strands posing as straps to a silk camisole at Creatures of the Wind, the laborious amount of grommet work at Proenza or the ever so fine  macramé at The Row. The coolest print was this blue and white situation that up close was a tessellation of nude illustrations at No.21. Sometimes it’s the little things that really catch your attention.

Showmanship: OKAY, that isn’t a real category or anything to do with market. But I just have to mention that, if I could give awards to Lanvin and Stella McCartney for deploying situations into the week that are less-formal-more-fun, well, I would. I would give them gold stars and blue ribbons for letting loose and creating atmospheres where you can mingle, sip a cocktail or some sparkling water all the while taking in their extraordinary efforts in the company of stilt dancers, Fidel Castro lookalikes, and installations of life-size, crumpled, fake giraffes, cars and willowing trees. BRAVO.

So, there you have it –   a brief introduction to the craziness of an unofficial fashion week week. And we thought Resort was the epitome of an idyllic getaway meant for relaxing and living a fabulous life! Is Resort the new Fall, or are we resorting to make all seasons indiscernible?