Roksanda Ilincic is a Gemini, and there was something of the split personality in the bi-colored pieces she designed for her third Resort collection—pants or dresses that were sand at the front, navy at the back. But the real split you could imagine was a division of opinion over the color she chose as her leitmotif. Not a fan of yellow? Then look away now. Ilincic took a spring break in Sicily, and she came back to London determined to capture in cloth the fields of neon yellow rapeseed she d seen. And she did it. The fabric she chose for her eye-scorching shade was a silk gazar. Balenciaga loved its sculptural quality, ideal for his couture, but Ilincic opted for a more loosely woven variety that, while still holding its shape in a draped, bunched party dress or long skirt swept into an almost-bustle in back, had the sporty feel of Aertex. If it wasn t exactly the diversification into daywear she was talking about, it was certainly a fearless statement. It was easy to imagine the fiercely glamorous new Brit pop star Florence Welch, whose Vogue portrait decorated the showroom, fronting her Machine in Roksanda yellow.
The designer s daywear dream was more obvious in woven silk jacquard pants and top (yellow the dominant thread) or a cotton T-shirt whose seams were articulated with lace. But the heart of Ilincic s collection was still the draped party dresses, the fabric gathered and stitched with one seam and falling away in an asymmetric point. She s studied the strictness of kimono-making, and there is something Japanese about the economy of this effect. But it can come close to an overload of droop, which is why the crisp definition of a white shift in slightly stiff silk jacquard felt fresher. This dress also fell into points, but they were like a charming reminder of Ilincic s grandfather s starched white handkerchiefs.
