ALEXANDRE HERCHCOVITCH NEW YORK SPRING 2011











Alexandre Herchcovitch is no stranger to color. In fact, you could say that color is more like a trusted and reliable family member in the Brazilian designer's house. For Spring, he approached it in a pure way, making it his sole focus. The show began with dresses in single hues—intense Kelly green and fuchsia amid black and peach. Each look was a full study in monochrome, from a swirl of paint in the hair to lips to shoes.

Herchcovitch then gently worked up to blending in Mondrian-esque pixelated squares, which were pieced together, not printed, along with dégradé washes. The sole print looked like big splotches of paint, but worked nicely in a pastel palette. The boxy coats and jackets, stand-away dresses, and cigarette pants had a sixties vein running through them. This felt very ladylike and elegant—particularly after last season's punk-babushka mash-up—even as it walloped the audience with its strong visual impact. How will this collection appeal to the hipsterati who filled the show and keep the buzz around Herchcovitch's name?

It's unclear, but you can thank this confident vision for bringing some brightness to the neutral-heavy week.