Aesthetically speaking, Peter Copping could be accused of being a hopeless romantic, ever the champion of a woman unleashing her inner princess. For spring, he took an alternative route to the girly stuff: his point of entry, a man’s closet, albeit going “back to when men were very romantic,” he said during a preview. “We were looking at 18th-century clothing.”
Then and now, a man’s wardrobe had less frills than a woman’s, which Copping reflected by paring down the collection, casting as its star the universal wardrobe essential of the civilized male species: the white shirt.
It was a bold, modern move that brought a calm to Copping’s runway, as well a host of beautiful clothes that will be effortless to wear. There were crisp poplin shirtdresses and nifty pencil skirts cut like shirttails; a wispy chiffon tuxedo tank, and a cool riff on a Henley undershirt in cashmere and silk.
For all of the men’s wear influence, none of it could be described as masculine. Copping enhanced with ruffles, lace and elaborate mirrored embroideries, eventually breaking from the shirt motif for angelic chiffon and lace concoctions; the final look blended pleated chiffon and multiple laces on one slim, stunning gown.
He introduced color with floral prints, pale gray and striking blue, because doing an all-white collection “can seem a little bit too clichéd,” Copping said. Perhaps, and it might have been too bland without the pretty punctuation of brights and florals, but the whites were the lineup’s brightest moments.
