13 Sep 2010, Posted by admin in Fashion,Previews, 0 Comments

ports 1961 simplifies under new designer fiona cibani

This was the first Ports 1961 show under the direction of Fiona Cibani, who took over as creative director this summer replacing her sister Tia. Fiona has long functioned behind the scenes, working on the business side of the fashion house, and not surprisingly due to her experience on the sales floor and working with retailers, directed her first collection towards the consumer. My immediate attraction to the collection was through its simplicity. Every woman can wear and actually live in every piece. However, as the show progressed I began to appreciate the complexity of the designs. The desert-inspired collection entitled “Essadi”, the pseudonym world explorer Isabelle Eberhardt used while traveling to Northern Africa in the 19th century, took me on a journey all its own. Looks in the show ranged from sophisticated daywear (khaki shorts and silk blouses), to easy flowing cocktail dresses, to an amazing finale of evening gowns fit for a 1950s glamour queen. The cuts were all about free flowing drapery and enhancing a woman’s curves. Most of the pieces in the show were made of beautiful silks in an array of gem tones–from terracotta, to sapphire to emerald. My favorite piece in the collection was a dusty pink evening gown with iridescent crystals woven into the top. The gown felt like a mirage from a desert fairy tale, and inevitably whoever wears it will be called the “Desert Queen”, Eberhardt’s fitting other nickname during her time.

–Sara Pashmforoosh