Fashion is as obsessed as ever with looking backward for inspiration, but its attentions are mostly focused on the 1970s this season. Dressmaker Alessandra Rich s decision to revisit the 80s puts her in a category pretty much her own for Spring. Reference points like Dynasty and the daytime soap opera Santa Barbara didn t exactly set expectations soaring today. It s a tribute to Rich s taste that she made the big collars and even bigger ruffles we associate with those TV shows look right again. A lot of it has to do with proportions. Rich s silhouette remains as long and lean as the day she started. This season she added sash-like belts with mother-of-pearl buckles to the look, but the shoulder pads one also associates with the 80s stayed tucked away in the time machine, thankfully.
Rich has a great eye for fabrics: black organza with shimmering fil coupe flowers, a hand-painted silk dévoré. While she made a concerted effort to expand beyond the lace she s known for, she didn t avoid it entirely, and that s a good thing. A trio of fitted Chantilly numbers with contrasting ribbons of passementerie trimming the edges, seams, and pockets à la vintage Chanel suits were among the best pieces in the collection. A surprise: the derriere-enhancing high-waist jeans with rickrack around the waistband and pockets that were showed with off-the-shoulder bodysuits. This savvy outing should encourage Rich to keep developing her repertoire beyond her ever-desirable party dresses.
