Monastic fantastic. That s the look Creatures of the Wind s Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters appeared to be going for this season. On the one hand, they were interested in "easy Eastern dress and non-Western patternmaking." On the other, the designers said they were eager to push the luxury quotient of their three-year-old label. Clashing instincts, to be sure, but the results came together smashingly on a black wool robe coat bisected high on the waist by a wide swath of Saga mink, and again on a sleeveless wrap dress in mustard silk jacquard with a vivid border in teal. Transcendence would be harder to achieve under the folds of a circular-cut cape and full-length overcoat; like some of the looks here, that outfit felt too heavy. Elsewhere, though, there were pieces that struck a finer balance. An elongated tunic that hugged the thighs over a wispy skirt seemed like a winner in the wake of Phoebe Philo s Spring Céline collection. A shrunken blazer in that mustard and teal jacquard looked great over a blouse and cropped trousers. Whatever their proclivities for the East this season, Gabier and Peters excel at traditional Western tailoring. And a mauve velvet split-front jumpsuit was as elegant as it was effortless—the kind of combination a girl can really believe in.
