Carolina Herrera soars, even as Puig stock tanks

The stock in Spanish luxury company Puig tanked on the Madrid market last week. This Monday in New York, the group’s classiest brand Carolina Herrera soared in a great collection staged somewhat ironically on Wall Street.

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“Simply very beautiful,” commented founder Herrera, sitting in the front row in a pristine gray wool pants suit, surrounded by scores of actual, well-heeled and super coiffed clients.
 
A visual ode to shape and silhouette, the latest collection for Carolina Herrera by creative director Wes Gordon was one of his best for the house.

His invitation was an exotic fish, and its colors rippled through the collection – Carolina blue, Princeton orange and lemon yellow. Though the key to the collection was the refined shapes: a cloud burst of fabric petals to create a floral bustier paired with flared tuxedo pants; a divinely cut black calico gown with kimono shoulders; or marvelous one-shoulder black silk gown worn over lace encrusted high-heels.
 
While Gordon’s sense of self-restraint remains first rate: a double strap white guipure dress that reeked class. Wes is truly the poet of the polka-dot, with mermaid dresses; fit and flares; ballgowns and perfectly rouched slips all made in multiple black and white polka-dot combinations – worn with matching clutches and kitten heels.
 
Moreover, his society hostess columns in raspberry and pink or fully-flared chiffon dress in Arsenal red were flawless.

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“I wanted to strip it all back, paring down and getting to the clean architectural assets, yet keeping it super feminine. I wanted clothes that wowed and stunned, and if there are too many tricks and too much noise you can’t hear the wow!” beamed a newly shorn Gordenn in the backstage.
 
All backed up by a mix of Janet Jackson hits – from Nasty to All for You, the collection was a welcome reminder that when it comes to fully-enhanced elegance, the house of Herrera remains the unquestioned leader in New York.
 
Presented before an interior rock garden designed by Japanese master sculptor Isamu Noguchi, within a stainless skyscraper at 28 Liberty Street – in the very heart of Wall Street. 
 
Later today, Puig CEO Marc Puig will address analysts, no doubt a tad surprised by the recent one-day 13% fall in stock price after the group reported a 26% fall in half year profit. But Marc waved aside concerns noting the fall was mainly due to costs incurred in its very successful €13.9 billion IPO in January, Europe’s largest this year.
 
“The most important thing is that Barcelona is playing well,” noted the ever unflappable Marc, whose beloved soccer team, after a few trying seasons, is currently top of the Spanish first division La Liga.