Your trusty correspondent returned from a holiday in Mexico just as the New York cold snap set in. This being a particularly frigid and blustery afternoon, hearing that Cédric Charlier s latest collection had been inspired by his monthlong road trip around Mexico came as a bit of a blow. The clothes softened it. Charlier tends to be a low-drama designer, but his sojourn in Mexico appeared to have whetted his appetite for grand flourishes: Pieces such as a black-and-white fringe skirt were definitely designed to be noticed. Ditto fabrics like Charlier s painted check or giant-dot jacquard. One way the designer found to make a statement, without totally selling out his signature understatement, was by showing matchy-matchy looks, like a golden yellow tunic top paired with wide-leg pants, both knit, or a silk floral sweatshirt teamed with trousers in the same material. Customers needn t wear the pieces that way—they are separates, after all—but Charlier s proposition was convincing. There was also something a little pajama-ish about the idea, which communicated a sense of ease. Draped silk dresses in black or in blanched coral had a similar effect, though the collection s slender overcoats proved that Charlier hadn t thrown his instinct for discipline out the window. The item that will fly out of stores was the one that fused discipline and free-spiritedness best: a buttery-soft, faux leather pencil skirt, with long fringe ringing the hem. The skirt was matter-of-fact, but it had daydreams.
