Ask a designer what the inspiration was for their collection, and the answers can run the gamut: An obscure, long-ago film, a modern painting or sculpture, a historical figure, even a comic book.
For Reed Krakoff, it's a lot more down-to-earth. His goal for his luxurious yet casual fall/winter collection was simply to combine two competing ideas, he said: toughness and sensuality.
"I explored those two ideas more deeply this time," Krakoff said backstage after his runway show Wednesday at a Chelsea art gallery. "It's a contest between sensuality and architecture. It's tough, but also sensual and feminine and fluid."
Usually in the same outfit. A shiny black leather jacket, for example, was paired with a dainty dress. A black beaver shearling coat had a black silk-layered paneled dress underneath, and the same idea was repeated later in ivory. A sleeveless black leather vest was worn over a sheer long-sleeved blouse, making a striking contrast between torso and arms.
The show's color scheme was simple: Blacks followed by reds, followed by ivory and bone.
Krakoff, whose fans include actress Julianne Moore — she was seated in the front row — is never one to skimp on materials, and this collection was no exception, with lots of lush leather, python, and alligator (bags and shoes are always an important element for Krakoff, who also is executive creative director for Coach.)
After a series of sleek looks in black, a scarlet shearling vest matched with crimson T-shirt and skirt seemed overly flashy. But a crimson wool twill coat was sharp, and the best of the red looks was a delicate scarlet layered paneled T-shirt dress.
In the whites, luxurious looks included an alabaster python dress, and a camel hair and mink sweater over ivory wool pants. To complete the sumptuous outfit, the pants and sweater were paired with painted pearl python boots, and a beige alligator satchel.