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story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Charles Beckwith
British-born and Central St Marten’s-trained Jenny Packham has had success in almost every conceivable area of fashion that interests her. World renowned couture and bridal designer, check. Red carpet go-to for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, check. Worn by relevant royalty, check. Made clothes for movies, James Bond no less, and television, Sex and The City even, check. What was left to do? Take Manhattan, apparently.
Mrs. Packham started showing her ready to wear collection in the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week tents in September of 2010. Her Fall 2012 Collection thawed the cold floorboards of the Studio space at Lincoln Center on Tuesday morning, and it was a welcome source of heat. There’s a definite silhouette emerging from the top designers in New York this season; slinky, tight, fitted, snug, sexy, you get the idea. Mrs Packham’s take on this heart-racing look was a bit cooler than some of her New York comrades, but it was still just as electric. It was a relaxed and sophisticated kind of sultry.
Mrs. Packham used many incredibly inventive and intelligent design techniques befitting a veteran designer in the prime of her career. Some of the most compelling looks were adorned with gold and silver metallic jagged beading mixed with crystals. The way it was applied it looked as if it had been dripped on in the manner of molten wax. This stunning technique was repeated in variations throughout the collection and it never failed to dazzle.
In a larger sense, the most intriguing thing was how Packham engaged in a bit of psychological visual manipulation. While there were a few plunging necklines that pulled the eye down, for the majority of pieces the details were concentrated from the chest up. Fabrics, beading, embroidery all made the eye focus on the face, neck, and shoulders. It was as if a subtle statement was being made about what the truly sexy thing about a woman is, and it is typical Jenny Packham in a number of ways. Her designs have always possessed an intelligence and complexity about them that is obvious but is constructed in subtle ways.Her Fall 2012 collection is certainly not going to disappoint any of her regular clients and most definitely will win her a fair share of new ones.
