The Obama bump was in full force at the Robert Miller Gallery, where Maria Cornejo s show was crowded with full editorial and retail teams and plenty of important people with the word "director" in their titles. "Of course it s had an effect," said Cornejo, backstage beforehand, of the inauguration-bound First Lady s having chosen to wear Zero aboard the whistle-stop Obama Express.
Fittingly, Fall was designed for a "strong but positive" woman, Cornejo said. The feel-good inspirations behind the collection (her cat, Grace Jones, and drives upstate) may have sounded like a bit of an odd mix, but there was nothing discordant about the image that hit the runway: a lean and elegant urban warrior look, not a defiant one, but a sophisticated and pragmatic tough cookie who needs the protection of a sleek, luxe cocoon. Despite the designer s protestations that this was a light and optimistic season, there were lots of dark clothes here. But that s OK: Cornejo s blacks are never basic, whether it s a directional silhouette or an unusual texture that clicks them up several notches. And the rich browns are the kind of hue that makes you wish winter wouldn t end—particularly if you ve bought one of the shearling vests that sent a ripple of approval through the crowd.
Dresses are a Cornejo lover s staple. This time, in easy silks printed with that aforementioned feline s face or a jewel-tone pattern that looked like the cross section of a geode, they tempered the brooding, layered, and hooded mood. "There s lightness in the dark," said Cornejo. Well, now there s also a spotlight, and Cornejo proved herself worthy of it.
