"I wanted to do this even before Nancy Pelosi was voted in," said VPL designer Victoria Bartlett, whose show—dubbed "Modern Suffragettes"—was a sartorial homage to pioneering women through the ages. Drawing loosely from women ranging from Victorian suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst to Guardian Angel Lisa Sliwa, Bartlett gave herself a broad aesthetic palette, while keeping the utilitarian slant that has always enabled her collection to evoke the strength of the female form. This show built on the designer s longtime love of the details on uniforms and institutional garb, with a new and mostly successful emphasis on more literal military inspirations, such as well-tailored wool pieces liberally detailed with patch pockets. These were mixed with the forward-thinking, fluid jersey pieces that are a VPL mainstay, while styling touches like berets and boots underlined the march-for-a-cause theme.
Bartlett is doing some pioneering of her own. Having just garnered a Fashion Group nomination, and having joined up a year ago with a Japanese silent partner, this stylist-turned-designer is turning what began as a sideline lingerie label into a complete business. Bartlett s wider focus was apparent in the specially commissioned shoes made with Jean-Michel Cazabat and her great slouchy handbags in lightly distressed leather. They were big enough, of course, to hold everything for a woman who is busy changing the world.
