Narciso Rodriguez
by Marilyn Kirschner

The Narciso Rodriguez show was held on 26th street right off 11th avenue (which seemed to be the coldest place on the planet last evening thanks to the wind chill factor hitting the far west reaches of the city). After the paparazzi got their fill of Rachel Weisz, Claire Danes and Jerry Seinfeld, the show finally began (only 40 minutes late which by fashion standards is on time). The collection was a welcome palette cleanser and very signature Narciso. It was also testament to the way in which certain seemingly simple things (a stripped down color palette of black, white, ivory, camel, grey, and especially, the combination of black and white) can be so powerful. Narciso's architectural, minimal designs looked especially good after days of fashion shows presenting dizzying (but not necessarily notable) ideas for next fall. There was nary an accessory in sight, there was embroidery on only one dress (silver geometric beads lit up a grey silk sheath) and not one fur was presented. Pants were very narrow and elongated, the jackets were boxy and hip length, and the coats (which are always the best pieces on the line, especially for fall/winter) came in three lengths...above the knee, slightly below the knee, and ankle length. It was the latter that were the true standouts and the highlights of the collection. And after seeing Marc Jacobs, who presented longer coats, it's obvious to me that this will be a big trend next season. Even though I like short coats for practicality, I must say that the military inspired white and black wool coats with sculpted collars, wide self belts and sweeping hemlines, worn over narrow pants and boots, made the short coats look insignificant. Especially on a frigid evening.