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ABOVE:
Michael Kors.
Michael Kors’s spring 2004
collection, a take-off on the lifestyle of the rich and aimless
on the Italian isle of Capri, was like a breath of invigorating
fresh air
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While her colour palette was mainly black, white
and ivory, her decision to add burnt sienna, cherry blossom and
apricot was particularly effective. Some fine examples of this included
her cherry blossom jersey gown with appliquéd ribbon straps
and a burnt sienna crocodile top with a tulip print evening skirt.
Mr de la Renta also excelled with his collection,
although he showed far fewer daytime pieces than Mrs Herrera. I
liked his exaggerated A-line cotton dresses (in yellow, melon green,
white and pink flower print) with thin black (and white) patent
leather belts. The same pink flower print was used later in a strapless,
bow-front swing dress and front kick flap chiffon evening gown.
Other outstanding pieces included his strapless pink feather dress,
his nude strapless evening gown with a ruched silk chiffon top and
a layered tulle fishtail skirt and a delicate black lace slip cocktail
dress. However, the crème de la crème of the collection
had to be his sweeping brocade print ball gowns in crimson red and
dusty rose.
Yeohlee Teng
WHILE I have been a longtime fan of Yeohlee Teng, I can honestly
say that I haven’t always gotten what she was trying to impart unto
us with her various collections in the past. Hey, I am the first
to admit that I don’t always know everything—and I wouldn’t want
to, anyway. (Who needs to be caught up in a conversation with a
know-it-all?) But what I do know this: her spring 2004 collection
was a well-deserved triumph.
For Ms Teng, ‘design is universal.’ She believes,
according to her own web site profile, that ‘design comes from servicing
a function and is refined through time and process … her designs
are driven by the material, maximizing the use of each fabric by
taking into consideration weight, texture, colour, and finishing.’
Furthermore, it’s her stated belief that ‘clothes have magic. [I]
dress the "urban nomad" (a term she coined for her fall
1997 collection), defining a lifestyle that requires clothing that
works on a variety of practical and psychological levels.’ She is
a master of design management and believes in the efficiency of
year-round, season-less clothes.
What I liked best about this collection the fact
that she seemed somewhat liberated from the cultural ghetto that,
in my opinion, had sometimes held her back from fully exploring
the full range of her talent. As a native Malaysian, it’s hard not
to be influenced by one’s past, especially one as culturally rich
as Malaysia. What made the difference this season is that she has
injected an equal balance of western (read American sportswear)
influence in her designs. She pants were sharply tailored and paired
with versatile tops (sometimes quite reminiscent of Gidget).
She showed some very lovely strapless shantung dresses, layered
silks and chiffon pieces with crystal edging, and harlequin-like
sculptural dresses and skirts that were perfect for both day and
night dressing. She used crystal insets and crosses and other shapes
to jazz up otherwise austere dresses.
CONTINUED
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