In his 16 years in business, Bibhu Mohapatra has staged just one evening show. That changed tonight when he presented his latest collection at The Pierre hotel, an ideal setting for the kind of elaborate occasionwear the designer is known for. It was also a big change from last season, when the runway was actually Mohapatra’s work and shop space.
The past few seasons have been a bit bumpy for the designer, and seeing more cohesion for fall was nice. Politics were less in the equation than usual, and he seemed more relaxed and in the mood to have fun, much as he imagined his heroine to be. Mohapatra’s reference was the photographer Helmut Newton’s pictures of women in the late ’70s and ’80s. “There are always two things about his work: He made women powerful but also made them into objects,” said the designer preshow. “And he shot mostly white women, except for Grace Jones.” Mohapatra’s key takeaways from all this were power, fetish, and flesh.
There were few daring displays of skin in this collection; rather the designer used sheer insets to reveal peeks of it. Using a wide black corset belt to cinch the waist on an ivory Alençon lace gown (Look 29) created a nice dissonance, as did latex leggings under sheer skirts. A Stockman-style tunic paired with a tulle skirt, both with the same beaded embellishment, was elegant and simple; ditto a matching apron-front peplum top and skirt set with strass and Yves Klein blue (the designer’s color of the season) applied in stripes.
Mohapatra teamed up again with Janavi India for scarves and also knitwear, a category that should play well in his boutique. There was still some awkwardness in silhouettes and the placement of the sheer panels, but the strong-shoulder finale dress was a showstopper. Eat your heart out, Alexis Carrington.
