Designer Robert Rodriguez debuted KOLTSON, his sustainable luxury evening wear collection at this latest rounds of NYFW show in a presentation format. The downtown art gallery space he chose perfectly showcased his collaboration with Uruguayan artist Vicky Barranguet & illustrator Pepe Muñoz.
Rodriguez is no newbie to the fashion scene. He has been delighting women with his architectural gowns for several decades He’s even had a turn at designing a collection for Halston, the iconic fashion house. The late Roy Halston & Robert Rodriguez share highly evolved draping skills that flatter the female form, whether it be rendered in a caftan or a slinky evening gown.
The creative process for KOLTSON began with Barranguet, who created a series of 7 paintings entitled “THREADS”. Barranguet drew inspiration from Rodriguez’s mood boards & overall vision, while Rodriguez reinterpreted her artwork with 32 looks that showed-off his mastery of foiling, flowing silhouettes, and embroidery detailing.
My mission this season is to create a common thread between art & fashion.
Robert Rodriguez, designer
For the arty prints, Rodriguez partnered with fashion illustrator, Pepe Muñoz who added his own flair and interpretation of Barranguet’s paintings to several of Rodriguez’s to striking dresses and gowns. As for the silhouettes, the iconic caftan lays at the very core of the collection. Rodriguez’s reinterpretations of the caftan in solid black and gray perfectly showoff this fashion designer’s mastery of draping & cut that make his minimalist yet hyper feminine designs a favorite of stars such as Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson & Diane Lane.
Other highlights included a floor length strapless black cotton poplin bustier top with gold foiling, & a gold metal backless jersey gown with a draped back that upon closer inspection (yes, we touched it) was as light as air. A corset slim-fit pant in silky jersey paired with a cotton poplin caftan bodysuit & sheer black and white pieces trimmed in marabou are the perfect loungewear for LA & Miami hostesses.
A fitted black strapless column gown with a bronze foil flame pattern that surrounded a mannequin’s waist was a prime example of this designer’s impressive skill set. The most masterful of the 32 looks was a strapless slit front dress that opened just below the bustling & featured a train worthy of a queen.
Why then, we wondered, would Rodriguez show two gowns (one black & one white) that skated uncomfortably close to resembling the stretch viscose cut out gowns Tom Ford showed in his fall 1996 collection for Gucci? Earlier still, minimalist maestro, Geoffrey Beene, showed a gown of the same ilk…
Despite these two unfortunate examples, overall, the collection was a rousing success. Robert Rodriguez more than succeeded in his mission this season- “to create a common thread between art & fashion”.
Prices will start at $279 for body suits, up to evening gowns topping out at $3995.
-Vivian Kelly (@thefahsionhistorian)
