Vera Wang: The Change-Up Artist

I immediately thought of Miss Havisham from Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations when I saw the above sheer print floral dress in Vera Wang’s Fall Ready To Wear collection at New York Fashion Week. Miss. Havisham, for those of you who have neither read or seen a film adaptation of the novel, brought up her adopted daughter Estella to break men’s hearts in order to avenge Miss Havisham for being jilted on her wedding day by a con artist or as referenced during the 1800s a wastrel.

The sheer floral print dress created by Vera Wang with its gothic vibe, sheer textile and dark background is the embodiment of the perpetual state of sadness that enveloped Miss Havisham and, as a result, may have enticed her to change out of the dress in which she was to marry her con artist. She would have remained in the emotionally wrecked state that Charles Dickens described her to be but at least she would have been attired well. If a woman makes a deliberate choice to sit in the same room all day amongst the moldy remnants of her wedding breakfast and wedding cake she should at least garb herself in a glamorously gothic manner. Vera Wang's sheer floral print dress fits the bill perfectly.

Gothic influences were apparent in the runway looks but Vera Wang was said to have been inspired by insects for her highly stylized collection and, wow, did she bring that concept to life. Insect jewelry was charmingly pinned on dresses and sweaters and intertwined with necklaces. She championed insects via an imprint of a spider image on a sweater and in another case by having the statement You Bug Me emblazoned on a top. If I had been completely unaware before viewing the collection about what inspired her I certainly would have known the answer after seeing several of the pieces in her collection.

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The solid black sheer dresses presented during the runway show were more to me what Count Dracula’s brides would wear rather than Miss. Havisham. If filmmakers were to remake, which I hope they don’t because it is not to be outdone, but if they were to remake Bram Stocker’s Dracula film released in 1992 these are the sheer dresses and separates Count Dracula’s hierarchy of brides should wear. They are perfectly fitting for those monstresses with their flowing tresses and their air of erotic mystique. A woman with a certain amount of daring bravura would likely be drawn to these dresses. A couple of my favorite sheer looks from the runway are below:

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Ms. Wang also honored the history of grunge and punk with her inclusion of overt grunge and punk-inspired pieces. The plaid skirts created by Vera Wang are a must-have for well-off fashionistas, in my opinion. Her pieces seem to speak to a woman who has been enchanted with the fun side of radical fashion from the time she was a young teen and has continued to love it over the course of adulthood. Who knew Ms. Wang had a fondness for grunge and punk fashion? Not I. I was impressed with the way that she fused grunge, punk and tailored pieces to create not one or two or even three looks but several arresting outfits.

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Ms. Wang’s fall runway show in New York was certainly chameleon-like due to the variety of style influences I have referenced. As a result, her runway show may have appealed only to those who don’t mind disjointed collections. This may not be a favored collection for those who prefer one central theme in their collections; however, I enjoyed this collection because it left me wondering about what else she can do with her talents. She has generally been known as the designer who loves romanticism. I am sure she still does but, for me, it was a nice change to see her darker side.

One of the reasons I have a preference for this collection is because it would be relatively effortless to recreate some of the looks from the show at a budget-friendly price. The second reason is that because of my eclectic style I can readily picture how pieces from a variety of the looks could be mixed and matched to tremendous effect.

A few of my favorite looks from the collection can be viewed below:

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Did you watch the runway show? If so, I would love your opinion. What did you think of it? Was it too disjointed in your opinion? If you liked it, what are some of your favorite looks or pieces?

Related Story:

Vogue, Vera Wang Fall 2014 RTW Show - Review

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If you or someone you know is looking for a personal stylist please check out my Keaton Row lookbooks at http://www.keatonrow.com/stylist/sharonpate. I compile lookbooks based on my clients’ specific requests. My lookbooks can also be viewed on my Keaton Row pinterest boards: @farfetchedstl