Peter Copping’s Reverence and Balance at Oscar de la Renta

When people ask how New York Fashion Week is different from Fashion Week in London, Milan and Paris, the easiest thing to talk about is the lineage of American sportswear. In the U.S., most designers make beautiful, classic clothing that you can wear on just about any Tuesday, and they style and showcase their collections in smart, efficient and, oftentimes, really fun ways.

Photos: InDigital

In other Fashion Week cities, you see an increase in exclusive, eveningwear-like looks; there’s often more haute theater in the presentations and a feeling that the “f” in fashion is capped.

You know, fashion vs. Fashion. 

But somewhere between the idea of ready-to-wear and, for instance, Milan’s super-sensual, high-end tradition or Paris’s storied ateliers is Oscar de la Renta. Here’s a look at the beautiful balance in spring ’16 from the label’s new designer, Peter Copping.

Copping debuted as Oscar de la Renta’s designer in February ’15—during the New York Fashion Week fall shows—almost six months after the founder’s passing.  

In a small, formal room with all the fashion people in their most polished attire, Copping continued on as he has: respecting, revering and retaining the red carpet–bound, exquisitely detailed and imagined dresses that the American icon before him so beautifully mastered.

There was filigree lace, lilac organza, saffron cotton and floral embroidery. There were also some sporty drawstring details, exaggerated parachute sleeves and exposed bustiers. There were “pixelated rainbow dahlia embroidered mink coats” on the same runway with a denim skirt. And there were plenty of those terrific OdlR outsized, overwrought earrings.

Classical music lilted over the model’s stern yet serene march, but then a pop song bounced for the finale.

Between revering de la Renta’s vision and using his own to put a new spin on the brand, Copping, who trained in Spain before moving to America, is perfectly positioned in that midway zone of the global balance of fashion.

Or, should we say Fashion?

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—Laura Cassidy

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