Print and texture made up the main story in Yigal Azrouël s new collection. In general, he hewed to measured, familiar silhouettes this season and used graphic pattern and surface detail to give his clothes a sense of novelty and dynamism—a tactic that served him well, particularly when it came to the prints. Azrouël had two key prints here, one a wallpaper-y acanthus repeat, the other comprised of painted whorls. In both cases, he didn t hold back regarding color, making the pieces where the prints appeared into take-it-or-leave-it propositions. A woman will either vibe on a silk tee or a trim jumpsuit done in two contrasting colorways of the designer s acanthus print, or she won t. But the garments didn t lack for punch. Other, extra-decorous looks had more universal appeal: There will always be a customer for a tailored white blouse with hand-embroidered cutouts in a version of Azrouël s acanthus pattern, or for a motorcycle jacket with sheer sleeves embroidered in swirling ropes of leather. Ditto the cap-sleeve red gown, gathered gently at the waist and punctuated by insertions of lace ribbon. The accessibility of these clothes, though, came at the cost of their being a bit safe. Meanwhile, the best items were the ones that were nervy without being loud, like the cropped flares with soft pleats at the side, or a loose white blouse cut out at the shoulders. These pieces showed off Azrouël s flair for the architectural and his sense of the urbane. It was nice to see him striking a more feminine tone this season. But "demure" isn t really his thing.
