Last season, Jenny Packham, aka fashion’s resident queen of romantic, sparkly eveningwear, got a little bit relaxed and showed it by imparting day looks into her Spring collection. For Fall 2014, she is continuing on that more laid-back path, but forget the sugar-sweet ingénue. This time around, it’s all about after-dark insouciance. With Bianca Jagger in her 1970s-era prime as the main muse for the collection, how could it not be?
Of course, there is no way Jenny can go without the all-out gowns, dramatic and glistening, some with headily bejeweled detailing and others focusing on the ruffled satin sleeves that fall like whimsically wilting rose petals. But more interesting than her natural flair for evening (that we’ve come to know so well) are the unexpected ensembles: loose-knit sweaters, quietly glittering like disco balls in candlelight, over lusciously full skirts and supremely wide-legged pants. Models were seen sporting too-big tuxedo jackets, casually thrown over their delicate shoulders as if they were borrowed from their accommodating dates. The result was an organic ease, one that reminds you that this is how women actually end up dressing when they go out at night. Even the heels were short-stacked on some looks.
Elements of sheerness and voluminous feathers made for fabulous proportion and peek-a-boo play (think skin that says, “now you see me…and now you don’t!”). The louche red jumpsuit is a standout; it’s the kind of dance-party costume you wish your mother had handed down to you. Bianca is fully present, from the refreshing cold-to-hot color palette to the Studio 54-ready silhouettes. The long-legged beauty possesses an indefinable kind of cool that lends itself well to a collection made to connote glamour with just the right dose of rock ‘n’ roll.
