Before the show, John Whitledge, one of the Trovata Four, cited Robert Redford in 1969 s Downhill Racer as an influence on the new collection. It was the type of aside guaranteed to keep a scribe scratching his head through the subsequent parade of skewed preppy classics in corduroy and velvet. But maybe that was the intention. Trovata relishes the unpredictable. Unfortunately, that s why a catwalk show (this was their first) isn t the best vehicle for their clothes. Not that you could fault them on set decoration: They had reconfigured a jaded New York cabaret as an Alpine wonderland, complete with yodelers, falling snow, ski lift, and a Saint Bernard (which elicited a huge collective aaahhh).
The thing is, you need to get up close and personal with Trovata s clothes to appreciate the unexpected details: the linings, the buttons, the playfulness that infuses their aesthetic. Up on the catwalk, a brass-buttoned navy blazer is just that. Likewise, a beige trench or a Norfolk jacket. Still, it was possible to admire Trovata s take on the sixties (slimmer silhouette, shorter jackets, tighter trousers, graphic linings). A school blazer over an ethnic sweater, paired with rust cords (and, as is their wont, sneakers) had the Wes Anderson quirk that makes this label so appealing. So did a black corduroy suit—the model was wearing heavy-framed glasses and an ascot, the kind of archness at which Trovata excels. Equally arch was the live band that played Hugh Hefner s greatest hits throughout.
