NARCISO RODRIGUEZ AW15’16 READY-TO-WEAR NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

In all his years on the runway, Narciso Rodriguez has never once shown a platform. Tonight he went there. His spiked-heel shiny leather shoes turned the models, many of whom are around 6 feet to begin with, into willowy giants. Rodriguez was after a new silhouette, ultra-long and lean. Waists were high; trouser hems nearly grazed the floor; and coats, which fastened on the inside with a band of fabric below the chest, fell to several inches south of the knees. To accentuate the neat, narrow line, Rodriguez stuck with sheer bodysuits and second-skin knits on top, a bandeau covering and compressing the bust. The clothes were impeccable flat planes, almost two-dimensional. Reduced in the extreme, they benefited from the addition of brushed-gold “Möbius” chokers and cuffs.

A fixation on India’s maharajas—”what they wore, the materials, the embroideries, and the silhouettes”—gave the collection its warmth. Rodriguez has always exhibited a subtle color sense. Here, he mixed a saffron vest and blush pink flares to fairly intoxicating effect. An iris blue coat and pale citrine pants made for a quieter pair, but the combination was similarly captivating. Vibrant marigold embroidery turned up on the bodice of a sleeveless sheath; other dresses featured traceries of bullion that had the hand-drawn quality of flower sketches. The workmanship will ensure that these are expensive pieces, but they retain a precious quality—not quite couture, but very considered—that will make them worth the money. By the end, Rodriguez had returned to pared-back mode. Worn with black pants, a white silk top that spiraled like a sari from one shoulder to the knees was the evening outfit that every editor who was in the room will want to wear next season.