Cheryl Shops

Where & When: Tuesday, September 15th at 9 p.m., the Salon, Bryant Park
Runway Recap: Toni Francesc is the only 9 p.m. show I attended during Fashion Week, and it came at the end of a very long day; I went primarily because I had an assigned seat, and also out of curiosity--Francesc is a Spanish designer showing in New York for the first time. His collection was inspired by the "poetry of water," and in case we missed the rhapsodic program notes, the show started with a several-minutes-long film depicting water in its various states. I'm sure this was intended to set a mood, but since I had a glass of wine while waiting to get into the venue, all it did was make me have to pee. Once the actual show started--to the sound of dripping water, which did nothing to help my bladder situation--we were treated to droopily draped dresses in drab colors; apparently in Francesc's world, the water is murky. This point was further driven by the strange lighting design: While in many shows the lights are so bright that you almost need sunglasses, it was so dark in this show that I had trouble seeing the looks at all. The situation was not helped, either, by the fact that there was no run-of-show sheet included in the packet of materials, so I can't even tell you what any of the fabrics were. What I can tell you is that many of the dresses, skirts, and pants seemed to be suffering from an overabundance of fabric around the hips, and if it doesn't look good on a size-2 model, it's not going to be flattering on a "real" woman either. Do Spanish women not have hips?
Standout Look: This trenchcoat was one of the more structured pieces in the show, and it helped tone down the volume of the fluttery charmeuse top and bubble-like shorts.
Bonus Points: The gift bag, strangely, was one of the best I've received this season, with a T-shirt, Tous makeup, and multiple Spanish haircare samples inside.
Where to Buy: The Toni Francesc boutique in Barcelona, Spain