"Every season, I start with tons of DVDs," explained Jeffrey Chow backstage before his show. At the end of his cinematic inspiration hunt for fall, what remained were Visconti s The Leopard and Fassbinder s The Marriage of Maria Braun. Those classics translated into a quietly glamorous collection of embellished feminine pieces—a copper taffeta corset with tarnished sequins, say—juxtaposed with sturdy, more masculine ones, such as a deceptively plain black tunic that buttoned up the back.
The wide-leg pants, bow-front dresses, and fur chubbies of the forties have made appearances on many a runway this week, but where other designers veered into retro territory, Chow kept his day and evening looks from seeming overdone. Five-ply camel hair hand-knit sweaters, duchesse satin cocktail dresses veiled in tulle and point d esprit, and must-have little black coats exuded sedate luxury. With the exception of a velvet suit with jet beading that leaned a bit too toreador, this burgeoning talent seems firmly in control of his rising star.
