Jenny Packham Fall 2014

Jenny Packham’s Fall collection was loosely based on Bianca Jagger. “Not what she wore, but how she wore it,” the designer said backstage. “Eclectic, with intelligence and wit.”

And indeed, other than the eggshell tux jackets thrown over the shoulders of a few models—which conjured images of the seventies style icon in thatwhite suit—the reference was abstract. Instead, Packham focused on injecting a Jagger-tinged eccentricity into her pretty gowns and glittery separates. Ball skirts were done in taffeta—to add “punch,” the designer said—and paired with relaxed V-neck sweaters covered in sequins or sweatshirt-shape tops accented with chunky crystals. Gowns, too, were relaxed: One shell-neck burgundy number hung stick-straight, with lines of bugle beads elongating the body. Packham’s “daywear” this time around was more like cocktail attire, although a certain kind of woman could take the wide-leg satin trousers in a dusky mauve from late lunch to late-night dinner.

Packham isn’t too obsessed with everything hanging together perfectly; she uses her color palette to pull it all in rather than sticking with just a few silhouettes. Generally, that strategy works for her, although this time it felt like the show could have ended before it did. (There were a lot of different looks to take in.) But she achieved what she set out to communicate and I for one am a fan. One of each please Jenny.