Lela Rose is often inspired by an artist, and this season the work of Jim Hodges was her creative springboard. In a phone call before her show, Rose described Hodges preoccupations as "the contrasting dualities of lightness and mass, and the frailty of time." Sounds a little heady for a collection of contemporary cocktail dresses, but Rose kept things approachable and pretty. Queen of the darkness she is not.
Hodges spiderweb prints were translated into lace embroidery. A blousy, silver lace tee floated away from the model s frame, light as a web, and a mirrored pattern in black guipure on a white sheath looked sharp and clean. Prints and surface treatments were the main focus here, with simple, nipped-waist silhouettes serving as canvases. One full-skirted organza dress with blurred, dreamy flowers growing from the hem looked like an Impressionist painting come to life. Chain necklaces incorporated into dresses—another nod to Hodges—missed the mark; they felt out of place with the otherwise properly feminine mood. The variety of embellishments here—lace, flowers, chains—meant the collection didn t hang together as such (blame it on Hodges, whose body of work is diverse), but buyers will have plenty of options when spring s party and wedding season rolls around.
