Marchesa Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear Collection

It feels very Old World to host a runway show at a hotel, and the opulence of the St. Regis’ connected rooms befitted Marchesa’s voluptuous, heady Fall collection. "It’s decadent and hedonistic," Georgina Chapman said backstage before the models walked. She and co-designer Keren Craig—who also happened to have been appointed brand ambassadors to the luxury hotel chain last November—were thinking of an opium dream, and poppies were well represented throughout. Flowers made of sheared feathers decorated an A-line gown; red faille silk was draped into a giant bloom on the front of the collection’s most promising red-carpet contender.

"It’s sexier for us this season," said Craig. Revealing tabards—a sort of smock—were worn with trousers, and several of the gowns featured nearly scandalous sheer bits, like the strips of open-weave macramé curving down the front of a beaded and pleated black tulle number. The models’ hair was "very Gatsby," as Craig put it, and that ’20s influence could also be felt in the duo’s use of copious amounts of fringe. The trimming was most successful when it was least expected, as on an embroidered and beaded ivory tee, its silver threads gliding over a pleated organza skirt. A tuxedo-inspired cocktail dress was the better for its tassels, too.

The 3-D florals—something of a Marchesa signature—also worked best in less obvious ways, like the previously mentioned giant-bloom gown. On the other hand, the opening look—a black fringe column with the shoulders covered in red poppies—felt a little overdone, as did the explosion of flowers on a tank that was paired with a matching red skirt. All in all, though, it was a strong effort, each look cutting through that imagined cloud of opium smoke.