Reem Acra Fall 2014

Reem Acra’s Fall 2014 collection was a tough one to pin down, but maybe cohesiveness is overrated for a designer whose strongest pieces are made to stand alone on the red carpet. In that department, there were plenty of gowns from which to choose, including a stunning champagne-colored panne velvet version that closely resembled Acra’s body-skimming halter dress that Robin Wright recently wore to the Golden Globes. (That gown was a far better use for the velvet than a floppy short-sleeve jacket that swallowed up its wearer.) Beading was prevalent, often in the form of thick cherry-blossom branches extending over one shoulder of a dress or cardigan. An hourglass of black sequins that extended over the sweater and skirt of a pink set had a trompe l’oeil effect, like a black strapless dress worn on top of a modest nude outfit, but it was difficult to discern if that was intentionally tongue in cheek. Elsewhere, a few pieces were entirely covered in black iridescent feathers, to almost costumelike effect, while a metallic wool cape and cloaklike wool coat were beautifully understated. Two fire engine-red gowns of thick rococo embroidery over sheer base layers left little room for interpretation, however. They looked Pantone-matched to the red carpet.