Rebecca Minkoff Spring 2014

One thing that makes New York Fashion Week so interesting is that one sees collections from a range of designers representing different approaches to what a collection should be.

Rebecca Minkoff represents a certain brand of designer for whom a collection is an opportunity to reflect the now rather than the future. And Minkoff’s now, as exemplified in her spring 2014 presentation, is very pretty though as a collection, it makes for a somewhat disjointed collection. Then again, maybe that’s deliberate.

After all, Minkoff has earned notice as a designer for the hip and happening set, especially the rocker set and the regular folks who love and follow them. It’s no accident that the packed crowd attending the Minkoff show was treated to live music by one of the hippest singers around—Janelle Monae. Minkoff may not have counted on the fact that the performance of Monae and her band nearly eclipsed the fashions coming down the runway.

But Minkoff’s creations were, for the most part, charming enough.

Minkoff’s collection was apparently inspired by strong, dynamic Latin women from Bianca Jagger to Frida Kahlo. That’s a wide swath of genre and cultures. But Minkoff mostly focused on Mexican motifs— especially floral embroidery and summer whites with a Mexican flair.

Some of the best looks looked like perfectly funky summer fun including pieces in mint and white lace, a black dress with hot pink floral embroidery along the edges, white leather miniskirts with floral embroidery, and some perfectly swishy dresses in bold floral prints in geranium (with green) and gold (with black). As some of the embroidered tops and tee shirts suggested, a summer sojourn to Mexico may be just the ticket for next summer.

—Karyn D. Collins