Carolina Herrera / Fall 2012 RTW

The sheath dress is back. At Carolina Herrera, that’s the news. You might think that they never went away chez Herrera, who has always been a champion of dresses that look elegant and refined and appropriate, but you’d be wrong. For the last few seasons, she’s been experimenting with all sorts of interesting volumes for skirts. Yet in the blink of an eye, in the way that these things can happen out of the blue, when the previously shunned gets a radical revise and is able to be seen in a whole new light, the lean, long sheath is what Herrera reckons will work for fall. Hers come in a palette of deep navy, mulberry, indigo, lilac, and what she calls haute (as in hot) pink and are variously cut from tweed, grosgrain, double-faced wool or jacquard silk. That’s not to say that this is the sheath dress straight up and unadorned. One might have a trompe l’oeil effect, with a top that sat over the dress itself, looking like two pieces when, in actual fact, they’re one. Others had artisanal beading, or panels of organza that fluttered above the hips. Many were cinched at the waist with knotted and tied belts. In fact, all of these adjustments and adornments drew the attention to the waist, emphasizing the shapeliness of the look.

She’s not alone, it has to be said. All sorts of designers, including some of New York’s newer guard, have been experimenting with a line that cuts close and tight to the body, and that leads straight to a dress that’s fitted, sleeved, and finishes somewhere below the knee. Could it also be leading to a revival of uptown bourgeois chic? It’s tempting to say that, but what does that uptown/downtown division even mean these days? Not a whole lot. More accurately, Herrera is, in her way, responding to an emerging sense of strictness, keeping the silhouette under control, and for the taste of more “done” looks; there has barely been a runway that hasn’t been busy adding a hat or a piece of statement jewelry or a touch of fur. And for all the rigor she brings to bear on her collection, it’s never uptight. Those sheaths often came layered up with cozy, comfortable cardigans or coats that were as enveloping as a bathrobe.

Photos: Marcio Madeira/firstVIEW
Source: www.vogue.com