Dennis Basso Spring 2016 NYFW Collection

Dennis Basso is always nervous before his shows. He needn’t be. His spring offering was a strong one – spirited and young – with more ready-to-wear than furs. “I design occasion clothes. They don’t come to Dennis Basso for white cotton shorts,” he said.

Well, there were plenty of shorts in this collection – just not in white cotton. They came in tan crocodile or ivory linen, shown with Basso’s most beautifully wrought fur: an ivory linen and hand-cut and embroidered broadtail coat with the look of lace. Basso did this in a black and bright multicolor version as well as in a mulberry jacket over a matching lean lace slipdress.

The rest of the collection consisted primarily of pretty, floral-embroidered and appliqué organza, chiffon and lace dresses and gowns. One of the best: the hand-embroidered gold lace cocktail dress. One curious thing was what Basso called “high-cut shorts,” which were the shape of perfectly cut swimsuit bottoms and shown with wrapped gauze, cropped leather or lace tops. While these “shorts” were worn under coats or jackets, the choice was odd in this show, but perhaps indicated that the beach is Basso’s next stop in his design path.