Prabal Gurung Spring/Summer 2013

This seems to be the season for the emergence of a new millennial age of urban chic. While there certainly any number of designers exploring the bright side of summer, a large number of designers seem to have latched onto a darker, tough-edged brand of pretty.

Among those making that transition is Prabal Gurung who showed his collection Saturday during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the sweatbox called Pier 57. In truth, Gurung has been gradually shifting towards a harder shade of brilliance for a couple of seasons now, a marked change from the pretty Ladies Who Lunch‒type cocktail outfits that were his initial claim to fame.

For his latest collection, Gurung said he drew inspiration from the work of the Indian-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor, whose creations include the red “Orbit” sculpture in London’s Olympic Park.  Classic Kurtas worn by women in Gurung’s native Nepal also served as a reference point, the designer said.

The mostly pleasing results in this latest collection saw some wonderful blends of these themes as well as Gurung’s trademark strengths in tailoring and his way with a cocktail dress. The show’s opening look, for example, featured a beautifully tailored porcelain silk cotton hand-embroidered jacket splashed with a Kapoor-esque aluminum and ice design that shimmered with maco beads. Other looks featured Kapoor-like “explosions” with splashes of color and/or beading. Muscle tees and tanks with graphic design inserts also gave the collection an athletic punch.

And Gurung’s drop waist cocktail dresses gave the collection an extra jolt of excitement with a breathtaking combination of embroidery, hand-painted fabric and ostrich feathers.  Not every woman can pull off an ostrich feather cocktail dress, one of which bore an eerie resemblance to drips of blood. But then not every designer can make such a creation actually look appealing.

—Karyn D. Collins