Backstage this afternoon Nicolas Andreas Taralis was of more than one mind: "Is she strong or soft? Punk or uptown? She s a little bit lost, a bit all over the place," he said. It wasn t as discombobulated as all that on the runway. In fact, it was pretty standard stuff for Taralis. Mostly black, with some unexpected hits of indigo blue; edgy urban tailoring juxtaposed with witchy draped tops and a single evening dress; sheer fabrics and raw edges conveying the undone, unfinished quality he prefers. Taralis himself isn t lost, but he does seem to be languishing a bit. There were pieces worth calling out here—leather hemmed coats on the strict side and, among the slouchier stuff, a biker jacket with sleeves pushed up past the elbows. Still, he needs to hit the "go" button, or risk even his longtime supporters drifting off. The indigo pieces suggest a way forward. We ve never thought of him as a colorist, but a wool felt dress with a heavy industrial zip coiling around the torso that came in a midnight blue on top and Yves Klein blue below the waist proved us wrong. Nora Renaud, who designed the tiara crowns and spiky necklaces, deserves a callout of her own.
