THE EMPERORS OLD CLOTHES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Bibhu Mohapatra Fall2011
This collection which took place a couple of days ago at the Box of Lincoln Center was packed to the roof with heavies. All the top stores led by Bergdorf Goodman's Linda Fargo were jostling through the crush to get a closer look. There were looks for day and evening all cleverly woven together on a central platform. Periodically the models would shift position so that ones that were sitting would walk then stand and vice versa. In this way you saw the clothes move and shift position which showed the collection's cohesion. Everything was rich in detail. Fur combined with leather over sleek trousers and sexy blouses along with great coats over dresses for day. The mood became more complex for evening with dresses and gowns that were almost cubist in their construction. From one angle some were all artful draping and then from another angle they possessed a series of shifting planes. They looked architectural with a marriage of the solid with the liquid.
Bibhu is one of the few designers who never settles for an easy solution. His interests lie in the studied and complex nature of design. I admire his commitment and the fact that he's hands on. You can see clearly the love and effort that goes into the creation of his collections. Too few designers today roll up their sleeves and do the actual work.
