Wes Gordon’s vision for Carolina Herrera has evolved over the past five years. Is she you? Well, she’s the kind of woman who will wear a quilted skirt suit, but only if the hemline is short and the blazer is cropped. She’s the kind of woman who has occasion to wear evening gowns but loves the easy wearability of strapless chiffon silhouettes (ideally with pockets). While she loves an embellished and embroidered daydress, she feels equally powerful wearing a sharply tailored cigarette pants and high heels. She is, to use a word, unapologetically “opulent” — which is why Gordon was inspired by the extreme opulence of Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria when designing his Fall Winter ‘23 collection (the royal was the subject of a hit Netflix series, The EmpressThe last year.
Empress “Sisi,” a world-renowned beauty during her reign in the mid 19th century, was known for her grand fashions and hyper-vigilant approach to beauty. One of her most troubling habits was to sleep on a bedstead made from metal without a pillow in order to keep her perfect posture. Another was to wear a leather mask with crushed strawberries each night to cover her face. On the runway, the empress’ sensibility was seen in overt references — grand billowing gowns with intricate jacquard print, chandelier drop earrings and a bounty of jewel tones. Her influence is not only visible, but there were other ways she was influential. In today’s era “opulence” isn’t just about after-dark glamour, it’s about the construction of a garment, the sumptuousness of the fabrics, the precision of the cuts. Gordon’s show notes reiterated that the designer shows “zero compromise for the very best of construction and craftsmanship,” and it showed.
The show was presented to an intimate crowd in the ballroom of The Plaza hotel, which was also Gordon’s venue of choice for the brand’s last show. The perfect setting for an iconic fashion house in New York City, it was the ideal location. The front row was filled with three generations of Carolina Herrera women, from 20-year-old Maddie Ziegler looking fresh and youthful in her embellished mini dress, to perennially chic illustrator Jenny Walton in demure baby pink skirt suit, to the brand’s namesake herself, who cheered on Gordon from the front row in resplendent red and camel. It is clear that the Herrera legacy has been left to capable hands.
