Designers have been sizing up all season long. Nina Ricci s Peter Copping got in on the act tonight, conjuring a scene of young girls playing dress-up in their mother s and grandmother s clothes. Sleeves extended below the fingertips; too-large skirts were suspended from braces or hung slackly from the hips; and dresses were gathered at the torso, as if they d been pinned to accommodate tiny waists. The collection had a sense of dishabille altogether different from last season s. There was a lot more bare skin on display for Spring, but this outing wound up seeming more provocative—like Lolita, but in French lingerie instead of 1950 s American polyester.
Copping gave a lot of the pieces a DIY spin, from slipdresses patched together with tweed and lace to tweedy jackets that had a relaxed, almost sporty feel, thanks to insets at the sides in semi-sheer silk. A coat was embroidered in a naïve, connect-the-dots style. Some pieces came off a little too undone, like a printed chiffon skirt that seemed to expose a couple of inches of pantyhose, but others retained their typical polish. A streamlined black coat was still chic, despite the fact that its blush pink fox collar was askew.
Given Copping s chosen theme, you missed the grand evening looks he s known for when they didn t make their expected exit at the end of the show. Among the party confections he showed, a sheer black dress that revealed the outline of its slip underneath was best.
