Cacharel's New Blood

Cacharel Spring 2010. All images from Coutorture.

I normally try to avoid doing runway recaps for shows that I haven't seen in person, but I will make an exception for the Cacharel Spring 2010 show, which was presented in Paris to barely any press. In fact, Cacharel apparently is so far off the beaten path of what is currently decreed to be haute and hip that it didn't even get a Style.com recap or review. I myself probably wouldn't have bothered to investigate the line myself, if my friend Ashley hadn't started representing them in New York. Having received a decent peek at the samples before the actual runway show, Ashley informed me that the collection was beautiful, and was designed by Alber Elbaz's former design assistant at Lanvin, Cedric Charlier, who replaced Eley Kishimoto as the head designer.

Well, when my friends talk, I listen. And the collection is indeed beautiful, in addition to being a welcome departure from the more traditionally cute frocks, tomboy cuts, and Liberty prints with which the brand is associated. Don't get me wrong, I actually love the old school Cacharel too; in fact I recently wore a hand me down Cacharel blouse of my Aunt's from the sixties, and I can't recall the last time I had so many strangers stopping to complement me. But the whimsical beauty and the lovely floral patterns haven't disappeared---they've just been given a bold graphic update and entirely modern spin, that comes in the shape of stronger silhouettes and edgier bodies. Charlier doesn't seem to be compromising the brand's identity, he just brings a touch of that understated elegance and that his former house is known for. In my view, it's a match made in heaven. Now may I please place my personal order?

-Tiffany