Daily Front Row

2009 October 1

Rochas - Paris Spring 2010

Rochas Spring 2010
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(PARIS) Marco Zanini's second effort for Rochas was determined to bow on a runway, and so it did last night, inaugurating Paris Fashion Week at the Musée de l'Homme at Trocadero. The beauty of last season's presentation, of course, is that it offered a close-up view of all that great scissor-work and textile research and immediately identified Rochas as a relaunch to be reckoned with. (Especially when a cursory walk through Barneys' second floor revealed that, amidst all that Ricci and Bottega, epic frocks could be had for around $1,200.) Zanini's Spring 2010 collection didn't feel quite as revelatory--instead, it was a blossoming, a fruition, a modernizing of the ideas he appeared hell-bent on exploring last season. Most importantly, color and prints were meaningfully introduced. A cerulean double-breasted belted jacket (styled pantslessly; GaGa, have you no limits?) played well against a coterie of minidresses in airy white silk and moody red knit. Slips--and ways to wear them!--emerged as another cardinal theme, andwhen they're cut as beautifully as these, looking great is a relatively easy endeavor. Peek-a-boo underpinnings under transparent knits and silks provided a touch of retro kisch; same with the platform rope sandals worn avec socks. Overall, a tremendously wearable collection--and at these prices, why not give it a try? Looks like Franco Pene picked just the right man for the job.