Ask Christopher John Rogers about the notion that every collection requires a transcendent source of inspiration. The designer’s most recent collection avoids all references to the past. He elicited a sense of optimism while avoiding the stereotypes that come with the term.
Rogers was able to go into various concepts by focusing on enjoyment and reworking client favourites. Rainbow designs with an optical illusion effect made their way onto numerous separates, with sections of the collection devoted to variations of bold colours like slime green and tangerine orange. This steady investigation of certain colours and patterns kept things light-hearted.
When you’re working with numerous looks in similar shades, the small details matter, and Rogers went out of his way to make each piece feel unique. He doesn’t simply offer you a sequined slip dress or a puffer coat; he adds geometric diamonds to the bustline line of the dress and makes the outerwear a reversible cocoon with a Dippin’ Dots-worthy circle print on one side.
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Rogers wants his clothes to elicit an emotional response from the wearer, challenging the short-term of fashion’s seasonal cycle. “We want these to be treasured pieces that our consumers can wear and live in,” he explains. “These aren’t one-time-use items; they’re designed to be loved, garments that can grow and evolve with you over time.”
Because of the emphasis on wearability and construction, some of the proportions were more subdued than we’ve come to anticipate from the label. Rogers makes eveningwear classic for forward-thinking women because no one achieves high volume and colour like he does. While there were a few red carpet-worthy looks—a multicolour paillette-covered dress with flapper flair and a ballgown with an artful barbeque theme print were two standouts—this season’s daywear nearly surpassed the after-hours wear.
Casual suits with pinstripes and plaid, LBDs with touches of rainbow knit incorporated into the pleats, and candy-hued stripe sweater dresses made them light-hearted fun, sophisticated and matured. After a year of confinement in shades of gray, resumption necessitates office wear with oomph, and Rogers provided an example of how that might look.
Photo Credit: Photo: Emmanuel Monsalve / Courtesy of Christopher John Rogers