Gentle reader,

I’m sitting by the pool in Palm Springs where it’s 108 degrees today and thinking about what I’m going to be wearing this summer besides these four year old swim trunks.  I finally went for the shorter-but-not-too-short khaki shorts, have my eye on a couple pair of amazing cotton Brunello Cucinelli trousers and am still wondering what happened to that white nearly sheer cotton shirt that I wanted to wear to the Pride parties on Sunday.  Of course, this being June, I’m rather far behind the rest of the fashion world if I’m only thinking of what to wear for the next few months.  With the début of the 2014 Resort collections, everyone else is already thinking of what we’re going to be wearing next year.  I tell you, this thing will make you fucking crazy.

The Resort collections, also known as Cruise or Pre-Spring, are typically a quiet affair.  Herr Lagerfeld may have lured some to sweaty Singapore for a full blown Chanel défilé but most are just shown as a group of still photos so it can be difficult to get an accurate read on what the clothes really look like or how they move unless you just happen to be dropping by the showroom.  Still, it’s nice to know what’s going on out there so I picked a few interesting lines to profile.

You may remember our mention of the somewhat eccentric Thom Browne for winning the CFDA’s Womenswear award last week.  Otherwise, he’s widely known for wearing matching shorts and blazers and putting on bat shit crazy fashion shows. His collection for Resort 2014 shows how successful he can be in using some restraint and turning out a lovely collection of American sportswear separates.  Though tweed and damask effects are evident throughout, they are never heavy and the pale grey and pastel palette keeps everything fresh.  Some bold stripes that recall last spring’s Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton outings as well as punches of green keep everything from being too dreamy.

Another interesting collection comes courtesy of Narciso Rodriguez.  His color selection of black and white with only touches of light beige may sound severe but was quite refreshing.  Clean lines and well-placed stripes worked well on tailored pieces but the floral lace print overlay on many of the pieces would have worked on a duvet in 1986.  Silhouettes continue in the relaxed vein of the current trend for fall and I’m interested to see a more complete representation of the line before I make a final call.

At Lanvin, little Alber Elbaz did what he does best:  sleek neoprene cocktail dresses, lots of frothy ruffles and quilted gold shifts loaded down with tons of jewelry that would be tacky if it wasn’t so firmly tongue in cheek.  There is also a multicolor python coat that you really must see, even if I wouldn’t recommend purchasing it.  The colors were muted, from what I could see, but I’m sure it’s only the tip of the fashion iceberg.  On the whole, it was classic Lanvin without many surprises but the nature of Resort is wearable core styles rather than press favorites.

But that’s only the beginning.  Let’s see what else comes down the fashion pipeline in the next few weeks and, if we’re smart about it, we can start dressing for next year now!  How’s that for meta?

Much love,

xxJames

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