"Sensuality and seduction." That, according to Sophie Theallet, was the point of her Spring 2014 show. And you didn t need the designer to spell it out for you, either. Right off the bat, with a first look all in red tones that featured a clingy sheer knit top and a skirt with flounces fit for flamenco, she established a tone of ripe sexuality. Theallet being Theallet, this was handled in a decorous, grown-up way, with an emphasis on the subtleties. The waistband of that flounced skirt, for instance, was made from ultra-pliant glove leather. Likewise, the silks this season were hammered, and the knit emphasis was on complicated stitch, all of which added to the collection s evocative sense of tactility.
There were a lot of strong looks here, with the snug dresses and skirts with pleated chiffon hems hitting a particular va-va-voom nerve. But the collection s impact in toto was blunted by the overuse of a couple of botanical motifs inspired by the artist Rosemarie Trockel. After the show, Theallet said she liked the idea of showcasing a weed—in this particular instance, a weed that could also be used as medicine. "Bad and good together," she explained. "I like the paradox. I like complicated, because women are complicated." Point taken, but even a weedy floral had the effect of prettifying what was otherwise a graceful tribute to female power and desire.
