In the 20 years since Marchesa was founded by two Brits abroad, Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig (the latter has since exited), the company has become an if-you-can-make-it-here New York success story with multiple lines (Notte, Rosa, bridal), which iterate on the themes of the main Marchesa offering. For fall the theme was nominally Shakespearean. “We’re always romantic, that’s really our take,” said Chapman on a walk-through, and that’s how these dresses, made of lace, strung with chains, or featuring draped flower accents, read. Still, the extremes of ecstasy and tragedy that the Bard—and Marchesa Luisa Casati, the line’s namesake—explored were beyond the remit here. However, Chapman did make room for moodiness in this collection, as with a floaty, full-skirted midi dress made in a storm cloud-like print. Equally admirable was a column dress of crinkled black semi-sheer fabric decorated with textural, pleated “wings.” Given some of the themes that emerged at New York Fashion Week, it’s tempting to describe this frock as being raven-ish, but that’s reading too much into it.
Evening wear speaks to different needs than ready-to-wear and has its own method of time keeping. As Chapman, who knows her customer well, noted, “When you are really looking for that special piece, it’s not necessarily about what’s in vogue, literally, at the moment. It’s really about the dress you dream of and what you personally want to represent.” Marchesa delivers “main character” energy to dresses for leading ladies, if not Shakespearean heroines.