Was there a show this fashion week viewed with more apprehension than Peter Copping’s first turn as Creative Director of Oscar de la Renta? When the beloved designer passed just a week after naming Copping his successor, many wondered if Copping had had enough time with the fashion titan to inhabit his brand. A lengthy profile in the New York Times just days before and a countdown by the brand’s own social media team added weight to the event, if it wasn’t already evident that all eyes would be on Mr. Copping.
But there was little need to worry. Copping delivered, in his own way.
As he had promised in the Times profile, there were similarities — appliqué flowers and ladylike silhouettes come to mind — to de la Renta. There was still the elegance and the color (though a bit more restrained) that defined de la Renta’s vision of what a lady wants to wear.
But a seventies-inspired frock, striped coats with heavy fringe and graphic tweeds were all his own, and the more numerous cocktail dresses underlined the changing of the guard. It was enough of a departure to differentiate Copping from his predecessor, but it still held true to Oscar’s brand.
