Mark Rothko s color-field paintings formed the starting point for Veronique Branquinho s Pre-Fall collection, and the reference was easy enough to read once you knew to look for it. There was a ton of color-blocking, in mid-calf pleated skirts and fuzzy sweaters—and in paneled jersey shifts redolent of the way Rothko s nearly black canvases hang in the gray, octagonal space of the Rothko Chapel in Houston. The color-blocking and geometric paneling were the most immediately striking themes, but the real excellence of this generally excellent outing was to be found in the designer s quieter effects: the just-so application of pleat details and frills; the soft cinch of a belt on a draped dress or a cape-like coat; the elegant circular hardware. There was also a low-key nerviness to looks such as a lean corduroy suit in white, as well as the paneled culottes that came off a bit like slit-to-there A-line skirts. Really, there was just a lot to admire here—or, to put it another way, a lot to wear.
