Every now and then you see a collection you think you’ll love—the first few pieces come out, it’s great, a few more, it’s bright and youthful, a few more—and it looks like someone raided your grandmothers closet. The Bibhu Mohapatra Spring 2014 collection that premiered this morning at New York Fashion Week, was that show.
There were a few pieces that I would confess to wearing, like a particularly unique silver and white backless evening gown with a plunging neckline, but I’m pretty sure my mother would look better in these dresses than the under 50 set. I will commend him, however, for making new trends very wearable—even if his dresses weren’t.
I love a new trend as much as the next girl, but as my figure is less like the thin perfection of models and more—let’s say realistic, the cutout trend will not work for me, nor most women I imagine. Mohapatra solved this issue with nude fabric faux cutouts that looked less mother-of-the-bride than I would have thought possible. The dresses were light and delicate, and I even had to do a double take to see the fabric. Well done.
Any actual cutouts were reserved for very reasonable areas that anyone should be able to pull off. Geometric patterns and sparkle were done subtly, much more casually than the look-at-me-I’m-trendy designs we’ve seen on other runways. They looked beautiful and wearable, which is usually the point of fashion.
That being said I couldn’t put my finger on why some of his models were walking with such trepidation; I’ve seen show after show and even in teetering heels the girls never looked this grieved. I'm pretty sure they couldn’t move in the dresses. Literally.
One model stumbled over her dress not once, but twice. The poor thing looked devastated the first time around, but the second? I doubt she’s walking for him again.
So if you plan on having any type of lengthy (or even normal) gait when entering a soiree, his long slit cut dresses might be a safer bet. Bottom line: while there are really only a few dresses in this collection that seem comfortable enough to wear at least you'll be understatedly trendy and well covered.