New York woke up to a coating of snow this morning, and while most could have done without sludge on their morning commute, Dennis Basso couldn t have been happier. "What better thing to happen to a furrier on the day of his show?" he exclaimed excitedly. "People will be thinking about getting warm!"
Basso offered his usual panoply of over-the-top options—a broadtail and fox capelet, for one; a chinchilla, fox, and feather jacket, for another. Getting warmer?
In recent seasons, the team has been working to perfect a unique mesh-netting technique. Pelts were backed by a silklike webbing on the aforementioned capelet, and it had an unusual lightness and buoyancy as a result. It s details like these that have won the designer such a loyal fan base. What Upper East Side doyenne wouldn t approve of a pair of raccoon and alligator "pockets" (fur-lined hand warmers attached to the ends of an alligator belt, to be strapped over her favorite top)? If that sounds decadent, it was, but you don t go to Basso for understatement. Even the pants, slim and made from ribbons of cashmere and stingray, were constructed to command a second look. Worn with a sheer black top with epaulets, they were clearly an attempt to woo a younger audience.
Generally, Basso has made progress in crossing the generational—if the not the uptown-downtown—divide. Still, that special spark that in collections past has made his furs feel quite modern was missing. The coats are so gorgeous, though, his core clientele probably won t care.
