“Like a wedding,” couture devotee Suzanne Saperstein remarked on Saturday night as she exited the carpeted ballroom of the Andaz hotel, where 900 meters of lush, floral fabric had been draped around the room like curtains, and where ravishing roses by the hundreds were arranged just so around columns and the live string quartet.
Richard Quinn’s fall show was a feast for the eyes — and a bonanza for wedding planners, guests and brides alike, for there were nearly a dozen white stunners complete with bouquets and veils.
Quinn’s show was unapologetically old school, emulating mid-century salon shows and parading the kind of grandiose evening finery you associate with state dinners, debutante balls and oligarch weddings.
In a deliberate anti-hype statement, the designer set out to create dresses of an heirloom quality that could be passed down from mother to daughter — or he’ll whip up a mini-me version for those less patient.
Backstage, Quinn said his business is evenly split three ways — special orders, bridal and ready-to-wear — and his international clientele helps guide his designs.
Hollywood glamor of yore seems to be what they crave, and the designer spun out demure black velvet columns whose drama came from jumbo jabots, satin lapels as rich as clotted cream, and fabric rosettes ringing the shoulders.
Save for some silver sequins flashing under bulging black lace ballgowns, and some sexy jumpsuits built swishing from lattices of delicate beading, Quinn has mostly relinquished subversive elements and let romantic, retro glamor take the full spotlight.
“Clothes to be cherished forever,” he said.
Ditto for the curtains. Quinn said all 900 meters had already been sold to a fabric retailer, and no doubt will live a second life at some lavish special occasion. “So nothing really gets wasted,” Quinn said with a grin.
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