There was a real sense of confidence on the Peter Som runway this morning. Som was working a catchy riff, interpreting Pop Art à la Roy Lichtenstein through the prism of classic American sportswear. The clothes had a great, upbeat tone. The simplest looks were the strongest—the tunic-length strapless tops worn over fluid trousers; excellent crisp shirting, like the long white button-down with a soft ruffle in back. But Som s graphic florals made an impact, too, especially his dark floral outerwear, and the mesh eyelet and Rugby stripe added a nice sporty frisson to the proceedings. The apron theme was more iffy, but all told, there was a lot to like here. Som s use of color was particularly noteworthy—the palette and the way colors were mixed fell just shy of what you d expect, and that touch of weird did a lot to temper the typical Som sweetness. Nowhere was that better evidenced than in the show-closing gown, a seriously soigné stunner in an odd, radiant shade of orange. Joan Rivers would have approved.
