Oscar de la Renta: Resort 2013

Timeless elegance. There is no better way to describe the new resort collection by Oscar de la Renta. The silhouette, the flow of the fabric, even the make-up was done in a way that just made me want to breath a sigh of relief. 

My Favourite Dress of the Collection
http://www.vogue.com/

Cutting edge design is what makes the world go round, especially in an age where technology is moving at a break neck pace, but sometimes there's nothing wrong with taking a classic and revamping it in a classic way. The lines in this collection are simple, there are no odd protruding hem or waistlines, only simple cuts that move with the body. Obviously one cannot always stick by the status quo, especially in fashion. Tomorrow's trends will be yesterdays fads, but  there was something simple and appealing about this collection. Oscar de la Renta has never really been on my radar, and until now I wasn't familiar with his style. This collection had a bit of Chanel and also a bit of Dior thrown in there, but there was always something in each garment that wasn't quite either. For the black and white suits there was more softness around the edges, and the dresses weren't quite so flouncy as a Dior creation. 

A little bit of Chanel
http://www.vogue.com/

A little bit of Chanel
http://www.vogue.com/

A little bit of Dior
http://www.vogue.com/

Something else I found really refreshing was the minimal use of make-up and other accessories. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I can't understand why designers insist on making there models look like monsters! For an industry that is supposed to set the standard for beauty at an unreasonable level it's certainly done so in a backwards way. There are many times when there is a theatrical aspect to a runway show and in those cases, I consent, that a certain amount of theatrical makeup is needed to keep the theme coherent. Unfortunately, this often translates into the models becoming freak shows. In this collection the models are able to utilize the asset for which they are hired, there natural beauty. People needn't be distracted by the odd position of the eyebrows or strange protrusions coming from the models cheek bones. There are certain designers who attempt to make the models disappear completely though.

Which Way Are They Facing?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/04/martin-margiela-rumours

Martin Margiela is probably most famously known, not for his designs, but the way he masks his models so that they are unrecognizable. Margiela claims he doesn't want the focal point to be the models, and this is his solution to make the clothes the centre of attention. obviously this has the exact opposite effect, but this is now the trademark for his label MMM. It makes me extremely frustrated that people buy into this as being fashion. It becomes the image and not the clothes that matter. Anyone can understand the affect of hiding the models to make them appear as though they're walking backwards to be counter productive to Margiela's objective. This is why I appreciate de la Renta for his simple designs and make-up to match.

http://www.vogue.com/

http://www.vogue.com/

The thing I found unsuccessful about this collection was the use of colour. The greens and blues used were quite a sickly colour, and the patterns did help. There were a few outfits with botanical print that I thought were almost there but still missing something in the way of colour and visual impact. 


Oscar de la Renta might not be a "fashion forward" designer, but there's something to be said for the elegant and timeless.

Oscar de la Renta Show