"Egyptomania" is the key to deciphering Vena Cava s latest effort. Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai looked to the King Tut craze that enthralled America during the mummy s world tour in the mid-seventies, resurrecting that decade s sportswear silhouettes, but punctuated them with hieroglyphs and zodiac symbols. The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists demonstrated their superior draping skills once again with several nipped-waist chiffon gowns, while the addition of more structured pieces—a sleeveless power suit with a flawless fit, to give one good example—proved the duo has range. There were shoes, too, taken from their new collaboration with Via Spiga. But it wasn t all about making a serious impression: An allover print on an evening gown turned out to be snippets from an Egyptian glossary of mythology. Kitschy, sure, but it s just the kind of irreverent detail we ve come to expect (and love) from these two.
