Venexiana Fall 2014

 OK, Kati Stern of Venexiana always has a lot of looks. This season Kati Stern only had 68 looks; small in comparison to previous seasons where she would top out at over 80 looks. So, you might ask, are all these looks necessary?

This season, I would say a definitive, yes!!

For inspiration this season Kati Stern looked to 1930s Hollywood glamour and the design aesthetic of Vionnet, Chanel, Jean Louis, and Madame Gres—imagine Carole Lombard and Jean Harlow updated to 2014 and a lot thinner. The column gown silhouette used in this collection has been used before by Stern, but in other seasons to lesser effect. And though many fashion pundits complain that Stern uses models that are way too gaunt and wispy to fill out her gowns, for some reason this season Kati Stern’s pale rocker model, glammed up and put into red-carpet gowns worked!! Maybe it was the loud strains of David Bowie, the Rolling Stones and The Clash in the background that helped bridge the gap between Stern’s very delicate china dolls and her 1930’s Hollywood glam homage. Though the fit could have been a smidgen better and a few of the fabrications were a bit pedestrian, overall the season was a win-win for Stern.

That said; the silhouette throughout the entire collection didn’t waiver from a column gown aesthetic and there were no shorter dresses as Stern has sometimes showcased in previous outings. Still, the collection was eye-catching and did evoke the allure and the luxurious glamour of 1930’s Hollywood.

 And Stern was right on target by placing a lot of black column gowns in this collection. Where at times Stern has spread herself too thin by having too many kaleidoscopes of color and too much bling which made it seems as though she was trying too hard, this season Stern exercised restraint and played to her strengths.

Standouts in the collection were the one-shoulder black spider-web lace gown with sequin and crystal detail, the black gown with sequin lace overlay and crystal collar and the petal satin gown with crystal strap and NAFA-tinted silver fox vest.

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—William S. Gooch