To celebrate Carolina Herrera’s 45th anniversary, creative director Wes Gordon looked back to the glamorous ‘80s aesthetic that Carolina Herrera herself personified, launched her successful brand around and that Gordon has helped update and grow even more.
“I really leaned into, with a wink, that idea of Ladies Who Lunch and going back to the ’80s and Park Avenue with our accessories, fabrics, prints and ruffles. That’s our DNA, and that’s fabulous,” he said during a preview of filling the collection with all things Herrera.
His show venue, the David H. Koch Theater, was even designed to resemble a drive down Park Avenue. The length of the atrium featured a floral bed of 28,800 blooming yellow tulips set between the runway and guests including Martha Stewart, Tory Burch, Gabriela Hearst, Lux Pascal, Camila Mendes, Ego Nwodim, Pamela Anderson, Fran Lebowitz and Herrera herself, wearing a crystal-covered blouse from one of her original collections (and it still looked fab and she as iconically stylish as ever). It set the stage for Gordon’s spring collection, but for the most part, he didn’t take the retro ideas too literally and instead translated them into modern dress.
“There’s a sophisticated camp to the clothes, and owning it. It’s super chic but in a way that’s playful,” Gordon said. He explained the collection was made up of a few storylines, starting with punchier, more graphic silhouettes in black, white and taxi cab yellow before transitioning to softer garments in pistachio green, dusty pinks, salmons and baby blue and ultimately ending with more-is-more glamour.
Within each, he proposed the joy of dressing up through day and eveningwear, with plenty of signature polka dots running throughout.
One could easily see the modern Herrera woman hailing a cab, or more likely calling an Uber (or her driver), in his great yellow tweedy chiffon and ribbon knit set; true tweed or lace pencil skirts, paired with pointelle cardigans and matching bralettes, or knit dresses with curled crinoline hems. Or heading out for a night on the town in his softer sheer chiffon floral and polka-dot fair. Two airy chiffon tank tunic and skirt sets and a pistachio green body-con lace number with a deep, scooped neckline felt especially fresh before he went full-on drama with voluminous styles covered in sculptural organza ruffles.
A handful of looks spanned both, including Herrera’s signature white shirt with cummerbund cigarette pants or stellar embroidered lady jackets with bugle bead fringed collars and cuffs topped with playful frog or zebra brooches, worn with denim jeans or textural pencil skirts. They played into the company’s strategy of revising the conventional thoughts around the two as Herrera continues to expand its categories.
The collection also featured special collaborations, including partnering with the Warhol Foundation to license the artist’s iconic portrait of Herrera herself, brought to life on an adorable embroidered mini shift dress and tiny top-handle bag. A partnership with The New Yorker magazine resulted in colorful logo knits and a delightful yellow slipdress featuring an embroidery of its cover from the day of the founder’s first show.
The third collaboration was with Taffin, James de Givenchy’s fine jewelry house, which was run from the top floor of Herrera’s Madison Avenue store for five years. A longtime fan, Gordon approached the designer to create colorful pieces for the show alongside his one-of-a-kind jewels.
Color, glamour, beauty and the joys of getting dressed up — Gordon’s megawatt collection brought forth the house’s hallmark, celebratory spirit. Happy anniversary!
