EDITION FIVE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2023
ONES TO WATCH BY GARY WASSNER
CYRIL VERDAVAINNE
I didn’t intend to write the review I’m about to write. Verdavainne is not a label I was familiar with. However, I was thoroughly impressed with so much at this presentation, I had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Cyril Verdavainne launched his eponymous label in 2018 at the age of 40. He clearly gained all the skills he needed to do so. A graduate of Parsons, he worked at Balmain, Mugler and then spent 15 years with Carmen Marc Valvo. His experience and backgrounds are obvious in this collection he presented today. Beautifully crafted dresses and gowns in heavy satins floated down the runway. Pastels and vivid primary colors, mostly solids, with little embellishment aside from those made from the same cloth as the dresses, fit the models exquisitely. The tailoring was impeccable and each silhouette very hard to execute so flawlessly using such unforgiving fabrics.
His collection is dressy, and it’s bold. Only a strong, confident woman could wear these sculptural pieces. But they made each model, whether petite or full figured, look stunning. One might characterize a collection that has no glitter and glam, no barely-there fabrics, no slits and cutouts that leave little to the imagination, as old school. In Cyril’s case, it’s classic and timeless, elegant and sophisticated. I was taken with his vision. The dresses literally appeared as if from another era, despite being so very modern and exceedingly beautiful. It was a refreshing experience and a collection that demonstrated serious talent.
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