Carolina Herrera's fall collection included finely crafted, luxurious outfits with fur trim, intricate beading and delicate fabrics.
For a while, it seemed Herrera was trying to court a more hipster customer but, as she proved again Monday at New York Fashion Week, she is now firmly committed to the rarefied world in which she lives and works.
"The inspiration for this collection is the women who want to be chic by day and seductive by night," she says. "It's a collection that's very sophisticated and at the same time it's very common. And the colours are good. I have a touch of red through the whole collection."
Herrera brought luxury to the runway, like a Prussian-blue, mosaic-print jacket with fur lining and a mink collar, worn with camel-coloured suede pants, and a sky-and-steel blue gown with beaded leaves and a swath of tulle around the neck.
There was a hint of a Russian influence to the overall look of the show, in her colour choices, fur and style of embroidery. The daywear models also wore full-brim hats.
The Herrera lady is a day-and-night dresser, not a day-to-night one. She needs many outfit changes, so look for her in a deep red wool sheath with asymmetrical vertical pleats for the day, and a distinctly different black-and-metallic embossed organza gown with a hint of red framing the face in the evening.
And the perfect real-life Herrera lady is actress Renee Zellweger, who wore a strapless, steel blue Herrera gown to the Berlin Film Festival last week.
"Renee Zellweger I have been dressing for ten years and I love her because she's the fantastic model for the Herrera clothes with her own touch, you know? She adapts the dress for her own style. I think Renee is perfect," said the designer.
APTN