Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
NEW YORK, United States — Other designers never sharpen their point of view enough to make a mark. Fortunately, Wes Gordon, a two-time CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist, has managed to do this nicely since coming onto the scene in 2010. This season, the designer's Instagram-powered fashion show featured ideas he visits time and again. "What is it that I love doing? What do I do best?" he asked, rhetorically, at a preview.
The answer came in the form of 1990s-inspired slip dresses — cut squarely away from the body, topstitched and embroidered with a bit of flowers — a deep-V column dress in a dry, textured crepe and plenty of lace: dogwood, cobweb, sometimes layered together. The collection marked a romantic turn for Gordon. He reintroduced the flouncy ruffled tops he trialed in February 2012, although this time he exhibited more restraint.
After talking with Gordon many times over the past few years, it seems the biggest thing he learned from participating in the Fashion Fund was the importance of consistency — both in silhouette and in the general feel of the clothes. But if you don’t finesse it just right, consistency can feel rigid and boring, as it has in the past for Gordon. This time around, the designer’s approach felt smoother.
