Carolina Herrera gets playful with color for Spring 2018

[September 12, 2017]   By Yahaira Jacquez

NEW YORK - (Reuters) - Fashion designer Carolina Herrera, known for her timeless designs, debuted an electric, multi-color Spring 2018 collection at the Museum of Modern Art’s Sculpture Garden for New York Fashion Week on Monday.

While Herrera, who has dressed five first ladies, stayed true to her glamorous and feminine silhouettes, bright hues of red, iris and yellow added a playful twist to the veteran designer’s latest collection.

“It's a celebration of color because color is very powerful and color is an art, in fashion, everywhere,” Herrera told Reuters. “So it’s mixing colors, color blocks, but no flowers because the flowers are in the garden already.”

Dramatic shoulders dominated the runway as models strutted in block heels wearing breezy dresses cinched at the waistline that grazed sculptures by Picasso and Calder.

“Fashion is art in movement, so I need the clothes to be very glamorous, and to move in the right way,” Herrera said.

The Venezuelan-born designer recreated her signature stripes and polka dots using splashy color combinations and finished her designs with hand-painted mirror buttons.

Her evening dresses featured heavy satin contrasted with light tulle in soft hues and metallic sequins on vibrant-colored material. Animal prints on the bottoms of several dresses came alive as the models walked to the tune of “She’s a rainbow” by the Rolling Stones.

Victoria's Secret model Lily Aldridge and socialite Nicky Hilton Rothschild were part of the audience, which witnessed the first full-scale fashion show at the midtown Manhattan museum.

“I am very honored to be here and that they allowed me to do this here,” Herrera said. “I've been trying for many years and at last we are here.”

In honor of September 11 and her show coinciding with the remembrance day, the New York-based designer decided to make a donation to the FDNY Foundation.

“Tonight I am giving a donation to the fire department because it is 9/11. And I think those were the ones who suffered the most.”

(Reporting by Yahaira Jacquez and Elly Park; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

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