(NEW YORK) It is only fitting that de la Renta's Resort show--one of the few to be held on a runway--marks the official kick-off to resort season. After all, this designer focuses intently on this particular collection, as it stays in stores longer and therefore has plenty of chances to tempt the customer. For Resort 2010, de la Renta showed a strategic mix of seperates, which began with tailored tweeds and open silk shantung jackets and developed to include wide silk faille trousers, silk faille draped skirts and even a few stretch denim add-ins. In typical Resort fashion, caftans and bathing suits made several cameos--although the latter were topped with distinctly day pieces such as a nappa lamb embroidered coat. Accessories, namely wide alligator belts and patent and snakeskin sandals, were equally covetable, as were several of the house's leather Cordia totes.
"Today's fashion is really about buy now and wear now," the designer explained. "And I've always thought that the name of the resort collection should be changed, because in today's market, women buy things that they want to immediately wear. It's really about continuity--you want to to have things that accessible and desirable all year round. So this is not just about resort; it's about a woman who wants to buy a dress in November and wear it to an event right away."
On that note, de la Renta ended with a smattering of gowns, including a draped silver lame mousseline style, that will work wonders for all seasons. Most memorable was a black silk dress with a flared hem and origami detailing around the shoulders--the kind of unconventional classic that keeps de la Renta's clients coming back season after season
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"We always call Resort La Petite Valise," Diane von Furstenberg said prior to showing a flying-down-to-Rio Resort collection full of cheerful prints on sheer draped chiffons, paper leather dresses in neon brights, and pinup-style bathing suits. Hemlines ranged from mini to garden-party length, and almost everything but the cartoonish bow-tied turbans looked like it could be folded and put in a carry-on—or a FedEx box—and be in samba-ready condition upon arrival. In other words, this was DVF in characteristically upbeat mood, recession or no. "I'm always conscious of the economy. My prices are always good," she said, but she added, "No one really needs anything; the point of Resort is to evoke emotion."
