Speaking Style

In his few seasons at Nina Ricci, 30-year old Belgian prodigy Oliver Theyskens has nothing short of reinvented the brand from a label that was often seen as stuffy to a clothing line that’s youthful yet very feminine. He’s the kind of guy who rarely follows any other designer fashion elements of the season, yet comes up with a really attractive collection. You get the idea that it’s an entirely original, fresh concept. Such is the magic of Theyskens.

The very young vibe in the Nina Ricci collection for Fall 2008 comes from the fact that most of the outfits strike a balance between fashionably feminine and practical. You could practically just throw any one of those outfits on and walk out to the street, and you wouldn’t look over-the-top or costumey. There were a lot of two-piece and three-piece looks that focused on layering soft fabrics on top of each other to create a flowing, floating effect.

Color also kept things interesting for the Nina Ricci show. While other designers were busy showing the fall fashion trend of sober and somber colors, Theyskens was occupied with showing a range of blues, oranges and yellows. But even with the soft, shimmering fabrics draping all over the place, Theyskens showed that he still has that famed appreciation for the female figure. Tight-fitting pants helped define the models’ legs, just like what similar pieces of Gucci clothing did this season. Scoop necks and a few higher hemlines showed a little feminine tease of skin.

There weren’t so many embellishments on the pieces themselves. That and the elegantly simple accessories like shoes reminiscent of a classic pair of Gucci shoes all hint towards and overall look of simple and uncomplicated beauty.

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