Henry Holland has come a long way from his punchy slogan tees, and it s to his credit that his development as a designer hasn t muddled his sense of pop. The House of Holland collection on the runway today showed a ton of finesse, but it was happily unpretentious, featuring mod shapes tricked out in bright stripe, zigzag, and houndstooth patterns. Holland s best ideas here centered on the houndstooth: He magnified the print, turned it out in gradient hot pink and purple or in a more subdued, shiny blue, and then came back with several garments embroidered in a kind of disembodied version, one in which some of the checks had randomly dissolved or disappeared. Elsewhere, his color-blocked dresses in a fine stripe had a youthful punch; on the runway, at least, they looked great paired with skinny-striped bell-bottoms. Holland also had some winners in his multicolored zigzag silks and intarsia knits. The show could have used some editing—all of Holland s big ideas were repeated more times than absolutely necessary, and there were a few stray garments, like a red leather skirt with ruffled hem, or a fitted workman-style jumpsuit, that seemed a little out of place. (That said, they were perfectly nice pieces taken on their own.) On the whole, though, this was a strong outing for Holland—possibly his strongest yet.
