Marina Moscone was after “something softer” for spring. “Probably motherhood helps with that,” added the designer as her parents tended to her adorable infant son. Soft and light as a breath of air were sheer overdresses with charmingly scalloped lettuce edges, the result of their bias construction. These over sheaths were simple, chic, and sort of genius: Pop one on and you could instantly create a new look. In the lookbook, one of them was layered over a heavy satin dress (available in a luxe pearl gray or caviar) with sleeves that become a capelet at the back. Moscone applied her signature twisted looks to the straps on sleeveless frocks. Foulards inspired the side-tied double-sided polka dot column (red dots on navy lined with red dots) that looked as simple as a scarf wrapped on the body; of course the construction was more complicated than it appeared.
Dots were also the basis of a new technique the designer engineered for fall. Starting with polka print laid flat, Moscone and team “joined four points together by embroidery to create a four-point flower; it’s our new version of smocking,” she said. She applied this variously; in one case a sheer fabric was layered over the smocking and then a bead was added in the center of the flower; in another, a panel of the smocked fabric was suspended on a sheer dress body.
Shine satins for evening gave way to more matte fabrics for day, but texture was still in play. The designer embraced imperfection with raw-edged cotton jacquard styles, asymmetrically applied pleats, and a perma-crinkle created through a bonding process. This last material was used for a pair of parachute pants that Moscone described as “soft utility.” Soft or hard, women need clothes that work for them. Moscone’s preference for easy-to-wear column shapes makes getting dressed uncomplicated. As special and impressive as the smocked looks were, florals can lose their bloom. In contrast, the monochrome designs (and that double polka dot look) had a forever quality to them.