Tracy Reese Spring 2014

Sensuality, energy and optimism; those were the three themes Tracy Reese used to frame her spring 2014 collection. But there was an extra accent on the sensuality this time around, a hot note that Reese fans will find totally appealing even as the designer found a way to stay true to her brand of the classy, urban sophisticate.

Reese’s pretty city girls were sent on a jaunt to Cuba this time around. Plantain chips, Cuban candy, a trio of live drummers accompanying a mambo soundtrack, and a cadre of fedora-wearing ushers added to the ambiance.

But Reese never forgets that the real story is in the clothes. Her spring 2014 collection was equally bold and romantic, a celebration of the duality of Cuban culture without ever delving into clichés. Of course, there were some standard, expected pieces here, chiefly, a multitude of white outfits that opened and closed the show. But, these were anything but ordinary. White lace was given a sexy edge in winning looks like a white lace mambo-inspired dress and another white lace frock that had the sporty lines of a tennis dress.

In between the white, the temptress side of Reese’s creative muse came out to play. Black lace teased the eye in eye-catchers like a black lace bomber jacket over a white embroidered shirt and white and black windowpane narrow pants. And this was one of several looks that revealed an edgy masculinity and was presented with its feminine counterpart.

Color, always part of the Reese story, appeared in bold patterns that combined scarlet with black and lapis, sea green with an antique gold, and a hot pink floral that punctuated this Caribbean sojourn on a festive note.

All that was missing was the mojito.

—Karyn D. Collins