In this spring 2004 two-parter, Phillip D. Johnson looks at the collections of some of New York’s finest: Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Narciso Rodriguez, Luca Luca, Anna Sui, Vivienne Tam, Carmen Marc Valvo, Douglas Hannant and Yeohlee Teng

PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GORSKI AND RICHARD SPIEGEL

TOP: Naomi Campbell in Anna Sui. ABOVE: Oscar de la Renta.

The internal pressure they have placed upon themselves to be the absolute very best has given rise to pre-conditioned high expectations of perfect collections every season

N ONE’S EFFORT to achieve perfection, it is entirely possible that one will find him or herself in a no-win situation. To paraphrase a character on a recent JAG episode: ‘The problem with perfection is that when you demand it of yourself, you’ll always be unsatisfied. If you demand it of others, you will invariably end up being dis­appoint­ed.’
   Unfortunately, that is a sentiment we in the fashion industry are very much acquainted with. Whether this pressure is coming from the designer or from the industry, there are certain designers whose reputations are such that we do expect perfect collections every time. Cathy Horyn said it best in a review of Ralph Lauren’s spring 2004 offering: ‘the problem with [Ralph Lauren] being Ralph Lauren is that he invariably makes you demand more of him’.
   The same could be said of virtually all the top-tier, influential designers of our time, which include such illustrious names like Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, to name just a few. The internal pressure they have placed upon themselves to be the absolute very best has given rise to pre-condi­tioned high expectations of perfect collections every season. Moreover, when the results of their hard work fall short of the mark (something that happens to the best of us), the profound disappointment rever­berates well beyond the stylish confines of the Bryant Park tents. Every designer goes through periods of hills (when they can’t do anything wrong) and valleys (when they can’t seem to do anything right). The trick, one learns through trial and error, is to find a level of consistent excel­lence and use that as a platform from which to grow and advance in one’s craft.
   The designers here have shown time and time again that they have the talent, consistency and the sure (and steady) hand in designing to not only be a credit to themselves, but a shining beacon that young designers coming up behind them can emulate in their own emerging careers. It isn’t always known what drives and motivates people to succeed, but Oscar Wilde said it best in referring to art: ‘It is through Art and through Art only that we can realize our perfection; through Art and Art only that we can shield ourselves from the sordid perils of actual existence.’

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