Maria Cornejo makes directional yet timeless clothes. Her collections change ever so subtly by a process of fine-tuning, not radical change. This makes for a fan base of obsessive collectors, the kind who like to parse the difference between the geometries of one season s sack dress and the next. For close observers, what will make the designer¿s work for spring stand out is the explosive color—there was a long cocooning cardigan in chartreuse, a tangerine sweater dress, and a silk plunge-neck jumpsuit in azure blue.
Before the show, Cornejo said that she was inspired by nature, especially water. That translated into a jersey dress with a lacquer-shiny panel down the front and a navy patent-leather swing jacket. There was also a glossy white patent tote with black straps that received appreciative glances from many in the room. A graphic print used for a shift dress and a more fitted sheath was, it turns out, an abstracted image of light reflecting on a lake. The irony here is that Cornejo was thinking organic, and she came up with some of the coolest and most urban looks of the week.
