NEW YORK – When designer Jeffrey Monteiro was chosen almost two years ago to revive the Bill Blass line after years of tough going for the company, he said his challenge would be to make a storied brand modern and fresh.
On Thursday, as Monteiro unveiled his spring collection, one could sense the efforts to both preserve the past and forge a future.
The very locale was evocative: The private Union League Club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a club that dates back to the Civil War era (it’s been in its current location for 80 years.) Shelves were lined with books, not a typical setting for a fashion show.
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Monteiro’s looks, though, sought to combine traditional with modern.
There were the familiar impeccably tailored navy coats and blazers, but underneath a navy twill peacoat was a bandeau top. A white halter jumpsuit had no back at all. A number of looks for evening showed an equal amount of skin.
Other interesting accents: A shirt tail hem on a black racerback tank, trailing gracefully behind the wearer, and a black organza top with an accordion pleat back. And while a red long-sleeved gown with an accordion pleat skirt seemed a little stodgy, the navy-and-white satin halter gown with a dot georgette skirt looked fresh and chic.
Nodding to the trend of big colour, Monteiro included not only bright red – a signature colour of Blass, who left the company in 1999 and died in 2002 – but also a bold yellow. A sequined gown of that colour was a surprising, almost jarring burst of brightness.
In a backstage interview before the show, Monteiro made it clear he was honouring the past. “We have the archive, and that’s always the inspiration,” he said. “Classic American sportswear. Sophisticated and easy.”
His collection, he added, should be versatile enough so that a woman could buy one of its coats in February, when spring collections hit the stores, and wear it right away – and through the seasons.
His ideal client is versatile, too. “It’s the classic American woman,” he said. “She evolves, but she always comes back.”
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