Sally LaPointe Fall 2015

To modern dance enthusiasts, choreographer Pina Bausch was the epitome of avante-garde dance, always the limits of what could be done on stage with her performance art spectacles that were an anachronism of what audiences expected of modern dance. Often there was no music, and Bausch would draw from the emotions of her dancers and male/female relationships as source material for her choreography. Often she would use spoken word as an integral part of her dance spectacles.

That said; Pina Bausch was an interesting both worthy choice of inspiration was Sally LaPointe’s fall 2015 collection. Known for collections that expand the perception of feminine silhouettes and what can be defined as casual chic, LaPointe’s attraction to the Pina Bausch aesthetic makes total sense. Bausch was always pushing the proverbial modern dance envelope, expanding the dance lexicon to include movement that emphasis emotion over dance technique. LaPointe in her own way does the same thing. Her work is raw, innovative and fashion forward, causing editors and fashion pundits to rethink the feminine silhouette.

Though over the years, LaPointe’s work has become more commercial with garments that have more retail viability, she never looses her edge. Finding the delicate balance between retail accessibility and forward-thinking innovation is not an easy marriage, but LaPointe has found a way to make these sometimes-incompatible bedfellows a comfortable pairing.

For fall 2015 LaPointe stayed mostly with a neutral palette that could have been downer for this collection. Taking that into consideration, LaPointe would a way to elevate this collection with great separates and a new sexiness that made this collection sizzle and pop. LaPointe found an innovative way to incorporate the fringe trend by pairing a fringe skirt with an oversized sweater and having a fringe extension that extends the dress to floor length. The fringe appendages and the sliced wool skirts facilitated a lot of movement and that movement quality was definitely influenced by Pina Bausch’s frenetic movement style.

This was LaPointe’s most luxe collection evidenced by fur vests, fur cowl necks, and other fur embellishments.  And many of the separates in this outing can be mixed and matched with a variety of looks from the collection or garments from other designers; smart choice LaPointe!!

Standouts in this collection were black pony hair vest with cognac double face wool with A-line skirt, black felted cashwool sweater with reptile printed–organza inverted sunburst pleated skirt, black double-faced wool crepe long slit bustier with black wool leg trouser, and black double face crepe with embroidered stitch fringe gown.

—William S. Gooch