Cushnie et Ochs Fall 2014

Imagine, if you will, yonder a cowboy crossing a dusty plain. He’s parched, his horse is parched, and he hasn’t seen a soul for days. A figure shimmers in the distance, all cowboy hat and jet black curves.… And that, in a nutshell, was the vibe at Cushnie et Ochs. What mirage would an avidly hetero cowboy conjure into existence? Karolina Kurkova, surely, in a ultra-tight bustier dress winking skin through black lace. Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs were not stinting on the sexy this season, that’s for sure. The emphasis here was on cleavage, with the designers finding various ways to expose as much of it as possible. The results were mixed. A strapless velvet dress in teal, with a deep V sliced into the top, was just revealing enough. Ditto a chartreuse jumpsuit with a similar bustier. Elsewhere, though, Cushnie and Ochs’ exposed bras and super-duper low-cut necklines came off as impractical, to put it mildly. There were a few demure looks here, as well. A long-sleeve lace top paired with a full organza skirt in black was very pretty, and an all-leather skirt and pussy-bow blouse ensemble had an appealing sexy-secretary edge.

Ochs and Cushnie also took a nice jab at outerwear this season; their leather jacket and wrap coat were sharp-looking and well executed, if not exactly paradigm-shifting. But sexy is their signature, and so it’s only natural that they keep looking for new ways to push that body-con envelope. A more intense focus on fit is called for, however, as well as some additional measure of respect for the practical usefulness of these clothes. A breast popping out of a dress at a gala is no one’s fantasy, except maybe a dying cowboy’s.