story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Freda Henry
There are girls and then there are women. Toni Fransesc proved once again, with his Fall 2011 collection, that he dresses the later and not the former. His clothes are imaginative and yet restrained, bold and yet any of his pieces fit easily into a real woman’s everyday wardrobe.
Mr Fransesc’s clothing always gets the balance right between flow and structure, and details and cleanness. His chief advantage is his archer’s eye for high-end wovens and knits. He is very careful in his choices because he knows it will prove critical to his construction desires as he creates his pieces. Mr Fransesc is a veteran designer and has a master’s hand at editing his work. This mature and crucial component of fashion design is what makes his clothes look and behave so beautifully. Never too much and never too little in any design element or intended effect.
This season, his color choices were one of the collections major highlights. A cascade of bronzes, cinnamons, golds, and silvers set the tone, with just a few multicolored prints mixed in. His tendency to create shapes and visual interest around the neck and back continued from last season, with draping and structural touches appearing on many of the pieces. Mr. Fransesc has great skill at making clothing that is dramatic without needing high volume or creating sections that require special care when dressing. He wants his clients to enjoy the effortless elegance and care-free class that his designs impart when worn. Many women have busy lives, and yet still have no less desire to display their beauty and intelligence than those who have all day to get their looks just so. Toni Fransesc’s work is a perfect choice for women who desire a look that takes minutes but speaks volumes.
