Carolina Herrera’s Collection Brings Bold Dresses to Fall

New York Fashion Week 2023

Feb 14

Carolina Herrera showed their new fall ready to wear collection in the Plaza Hotel Ballroom just yesterday. The audience was served romance as models walked through the ballroom while love songs such as “I say a Little Prayer for You” played.

For this collection, Gordon was inspired by the costume in Netflix’s “The Empress,” created by designer Gabriela Reumer, and the film “Corsage,” mixing romantic style with luxury. “The costumes were so beautiful and with the Hapsburgs you had that mix of military discipline with opulence,” Gordon said about the Netflix show. “That kind of discipline with drama is really the recipe for elegance.” Additionally, it was inspired by Empress Elisabeth ‘Sisi’ of Austria from the 18th century, adding a touch of royalty to the collection.

Anybody can see the focus on craftsmanship for this collection. The gowns, two piece sets and suits were made with the utmost care with well crafted, floral, satin, brocade and stripe patterns that float down the runway. The floor length gowns came in a bright and dark color palette, mixing things up for the fall.

For sure the collection was opulent, pulling together Carolina Herrera’s notorious aesthetic with that of Empress Elizabeth’s time period. Many of the dresses were off the shoulder or strapless, which may have been purposeful due to the off-shoulder necklines that were worn by wealthy women in the 18th century. In true fall fashion, Gordon also brought outerwear to this collection. He experimented by adding trains and bold patterns onto long coats, adding details such as bows and zippers onto them.

Carolina Herrera is known especially for their beautiful gowns and rich fabrics and this collection did not disappoint in that department. However, this time, creative director Wes Gordon wanted to go a different direction for the fall with less floral prints and more darker, bold colors.

Gordon said, “Spring was a lot of print…But for fall, I wanted something sumptuous and opulent, with rich fabrics and layers of tulle that show the craftsmanship…It was in many ways an indulgence as a designer to just really work with artisans who can do these things that unfortunately have become largely extinct on runways today. [I wanted to] just stop for a minute and focus on making things that are emotional and beautiful and showcase the best of everyone's craft…I think this is our most elevated, luxury collection yet.”

Carolina Herrera showed royal sophistication with romantic and elegant style. The fabrics in the collection deserve their own praise; hand embroidered and bought from the finest artisans. Anybody can see the care and precision that went into this collection. Excellent craftsmanship and the romantic style only Carolina Herrera can do right. It was beautiful to see.

Here are the best looks from the collection: