It isn t saying much to assert that this season s Imitation collection was more realistic than the previous one. Last season, Tara Subkoff returned to New York fashion week with an Imitation collection composed primarily of pajamalike clothes—her vintage-inspired peignoirs and tap shorts made for quite glamorous daywear, if you re a slip of a girl who works from home. This time out, Subkoff showed plenty of things you could wear outside without getting a summons for indecency, along with plenty of other pieces that would definitely land you in court. The question is who—aside from the odd time-traveling, screwball comedy socialite from the thirties, or a film noir vixen from Big Sleep-era L.A.—is looking for these clothes?
That s not a knock on Subkoff s cinematic imagination or her inveterate preference for old Hollywood glamour. It s fine for a designer to have particular taste. But Subkoff doesn t seem to have much interest in finding ways to make her references practical, or relevant to today. She has some interest—witness the gray suits in sweatshirt jersey, which were a bit of a misfire, or the fine wool trenchcoat with vampish cutout sleeves—but she has a tendency to overdevelop her easy ideas and give short shrift to the more challenging and interesting ones. That trench, for instance: Why didn t that cutout-sleeve idea get more play? And the cool T-shirt dress, draped in the back, in graphic green and black burn-out velvet: Why didn t we see more of that material? And in the meantime, why did Subkoff need to show a dozen iterations of sheer, shimmery chiffon dresses? Her instinct seemed to be to take a finished look, like a wool suit, and devolve it back to the point where it felt like (yes) pajamas. (To wit, a version of the suit in a tank and tap shorts combination.)
The collection shown was large, and it had its strengths. Subkoff showed a fugue of grays, together and alone, ranging from slick silvers to stone. And she did have one killer dress, a clean, long-sleeve, body-hugging jersey sheath that swept the floor. Her tailored, high-waisted long skirts were nearly as good, and every bit as sexy. For a designer who emphasizes dishabille so much, Subkoff should really take note of the fact that she s at her best when she does covered-up.
