The Tamesis
New York’s Christopher John Rogers is sticking to his one-a-year plan; we’ll have to wait until September to see his colorful clothes on the runway again. In a season dominated by black, his richness of color is sorely missed, something I was reminded of when I saw his neon pink jacket from his Pre-Fall collection on the Paris runway a few years ago.
No detail in Rogers’ clothing goes unnoticed, and that’s true for both the denim he focuses on here and his signature striped knits. “I like things that are special and feel painted, but you can obviously wear them and they’re very easy,” he said. Rogers starts with black denim, which he bleaches, overdyes, and then hand-sands. It’s a tough job, and it showed in the rich gradient look of his bell-bottom pants and jacket. On other styles, he skipped overdying but added his familiar gradient polka dot pattern.
The dressier end of his fall offerings feature bows, ribbons and ruffles. Rogers was drawn to Piero the Clown, John Chamberlain car sculptures and Muppets. No one has ever accused him of being a minimalist, but a crimson halterneck dress with crushed bows at the neck and hip exuded elegant, understated glamour, as did a sleeveless bias-cut column with an abstract black-and-white floral print and a matching fabric boutonniere tied around the neck.
On the knitwear front, the most promising development is the addition of long-sleeved polo sweaters that offer a convenient fit. At a time when American prep has become an enduring trend, even in European capitals, Rogers should continue to tap into his roots. At the end of a weeks-long marathon of fashion shows, his three-piece ensemble—a wrap sweater, joggers and an ankle-length cardigan—looked tantalizing, too.
