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Carolina Herrera remains classic, colorful, current

Bright looks from Carolina Herrera. Photo: carolinaherrera.com

By Dahlia Jean Weinstein

It started with a positive reaction to a “test” collection Carolina Herrera created in 1981. She passed the test and went on to enjoy tremendous success in a fashion career spanning nearly three decades.

Herrera’s impressive portfolio of worldly collections was recently celebrated by her contemporaries when she received the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s 2008 CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. Council members include more than 300 of America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers, so it’s no small feat to be selected to receive such a prestigious honor.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Herrera incorporates her Latin heritage and love of vibrant colors in every collection she creates. She began her career at the urging of fashion legend Diana Vreeland, and her friend, the late Count Rudi Crespi. After the successful test collection, Herrera moved with her family to New York where she founded Carolina Herrera, Ltd.

Herrera instinctively knew how to create high-end fashion, and chic women were drawn to her impeccable tailoring and design. Not surprising, considering she grew up in a country – and in a social class – where women only wore haute couture. At the age of 13, Herrera attended her first couture show with her grandmother. The show featured a collection from Cristobal Balenciaga, the legendary fashion innovator from Spain. New designers looked up to Balenciaga for both his techniques and construction and his efforts to achieve perfection. The Balenciaga show was the foundation for Herrera’s inspiration and work ethic, and her inevitable success.

Herrera eventually created an international design conglomerate that includes a bridal collection, accessories, eyewear, fragrances and her signature fashion collection.

“I started doing this because I loved fashion,” said Herrera. “I had no idea what it would turn into.”

Herrera’s current collection for spring/summer 2009, continues to showcase the Herrera aesthetic in both elegant daywear and exquisite evening dresses.

“Light and color are basic elements in all my creations,” she said.

The collection features vibrant color with the contrast of ink black and crisp white, a signature of Herrera’s collections. Please don’t describe colors from the spring/summer 2009 collection as red, blue, yellow and gold. Herrera’s Latin influence turns a simple color palette into sophisticated shades of persimmon, teal, hibiscus and marigold.
 
The fabric selection for the collection includes tweed organza, textured silk, lacquered raffia, cotton sateen and silk cloqué (a raised woven pattern with a puckered or quilted look). Satin fabrics form asymmetrical, floor-length gowns with mermaid silhouettes and cascading ruffles of chiffon; while black Lurex faille skirts with a subtle ruffle and sateen rose-print bustiers create a to-die-for cocktail look.

The collection also includes impeccable man-tailored suits made from black or white monochrome Lurex, and satin and gabardine fabrics, most with beautiful metallic finishes. The suit silhouettes include contemporary tuxedo-shaped jackets, slim pencil skirts and skinny, cropped cigarette pants.

Herrera’s loyal clientele, which usually includes ladies who lunch and jet-set fashionistas, always appreciate the luxurious look and feel of the pieces in each collection, and their everyday diversity. A woman can wear a pair of black cotton sateen cigarette pants, a rose-print bustier and a black tuxedo-cut jacket for a daytime lunch or less formal affair. The same woman can float into a black-tie affair wearing a flowing persimmon or marigold silk and chiffon gown.

Herrera makes her glamorous collections look simple, even though the workmanship and detail that goes into creating each collection is very intricate. The clothes are still classic with a modern twist, which makes the Herrera label a red carpet favorite for celebrities including Renee Zellweger, Amy Adams, Mariska Hargitay and Shakira.

“I love the idea of elegance and intricacy, but whether it’s in a piece of clothing or a fragrance, the intricacy must appear as simplicity,” said Herrera, following the CFDA Awards.

“I think that standard has served me well; women seem to love my clothes.”

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