By Vivian G. Kelly
Photographs by J. Ecochard
Date and time: Saturday, February 3, 2:40pm
The venue: NYC Bar Association, 42 W 44th St.
The verdict: +
Play a word association game and the word “romantic” pops to mind when you mention designer James Coviello. We recalled a previous Coviello collection that was homage to the twenties, which featured delicate dresses, skirts and tops that looked as delicate as cobwebs.
It’s three years later, and Mr. Coviello has stayed true to his esthetic. Better still, he has improved, these pieces look functional, and his latest effort achieves a balance between sweetness and sophistication.
The audience loved the wallpaper florals, sixties color block prints and the wonderful aquamarine, brown, olive, bronze and coral color palette. Interestingly, we previewed colors similar to these while at Mercedes Benz LA Fashion Week last October. Benjamin Moore previewed similar colors [Agave, cloud white] for the home that are remarkably similar to Mr. Coviello’s comfy crochet cardigans and vests. He too, showed cable knits, we couldn’t resist the pretty cream ruffle cable cardigan the would look good over a pair of jeans or one of Mr. Coviello’s silk print dresses.
There was a sixties bourgeois element present in the clothing that matched the mod-inspired makeup. Was Mr. Coviello thinking of Catherine Deneuve, as she appeared in “Belle de Jour”, dressed in proper tweed pastel mini dresses? Doe eyes, created with black liquid eyeliner and pale nude lips looked great with exit #13, a silk color block tunic.
Mr. Coviello harkened back to the seventies too, there were hip length crochet cardigans and vests, knit hats and the decade’s ultimate accessory, stick straight center parted hair that every high school girl in the seventies wore, after she’d flirted with “the Farrah Fawcett” and “the Dorothy Hamill”. The designer received a rousing round of applause [a rarity at NY shows] led by Queer Eye’s fashion savant, Carson Kressley