A long awaited collection; the first collection for Olivier Theyskens was a combined inspiration of the swan lake ballet with Theyskens aesthetic of a relaxed silhouette with an American sportswear feel. The opening section is a series of heavy knit pieces and then moving into sculpted pant and skirt looks. One of the strong knit pieces in the opening section is a pale gray cashmere/angora ribbed knit dress with long sleeve. The hem of the skit is finished with scalloped knit shape. The color palette is soft shades of white, pale grays moving into black and darker grays. Theyskens opted for a skinny leg pant for the season. Another great pieces from the opening section are the white bias zip front jersey jacket worn with a matching light knit bias neckline top.

In the second section Theyskens moves away from a structured silhouette into a series of draped dress’s/gowns and oversized sweaters/coats. One of the key knit pieces in this section is a thick weave gray angora poncho. The poncho is knit with a scalloped hem and worn with an ankle length gray jersey dress. In the third section Theyskens shifts back to a structure look and focuses on matching pieces like skirt and blazer combinations. One of these combination looks is in the evening section a floor length gray silk crepe gown embellished with stripes of silver crystals and stripes of crepe-covered buttons. .

What is really lacking in the first three sections is a strong statement or looks that Theyskens is known for. Its not until the evening section that we start to see Theyskens really start to loosen up. The evening section is his classic floor length Theyskens silhouettes and the emphasis is on draping fabrics and emphasizing different parts of the body, like a draped bust line. One of the show stopping gowns the exhibit this is one of Theyskens origami style gowns at the close of the collection. A white silk chiffon and crepe gown with stiff swirls of fabric draped around the bus line and arm. The seaming and stiff swirls are embellished with white ostrich feathers. Another great evening look are Theyskens floor length stripe silk chiffon gowns. The gowns are constructed with strips of chiffon draped on a bias. One of the standout gowns is a white and yellow silk chiffon gown that he pieces the strips of white chiffon with yellow chiffon.

The two must have pieces from the evening section are two contrast looks for Theyskens. First is one of Theyskens bias opening leather jackets. The leather is oil treated and the opening is places on side of the hip and zips up to the opposite shoulder. The other must have piece is one of stiff swirl gowns. The gown is a strapless floor length gown that Theyskens drapes with tiers of cascading colored silk chiffon. The tiers move from a pale yellow at the bust line to lime green at the hem of the gown. This collection is certainly more of a Theyskens collection rather than a Nina Ricci collection. For the past decade the House of Ricci has struggled to really get a designer to come in and really define the Ricci woman for today. Finally the House has realized that they just need a designer who can come in with their own image and build the house back up and slowly start to reference Madame Ricci later on. Even Lagerfeld didn’t start at the House of Chanel by mimicking the classic tweed suits. Bravo Monsieur Theyskens!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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