Confused. That's how I left the Pamella Roland show at Lincoln Center Monday evening. While boasting some perfectly wearable pieces, the collection never quite came together, getting no help along from the schizophrenic music choices (read: club beats and Coldplay). At an excessive 47 looks, it was a case of too little going on with too much.
The first warning sign came as I was trying to stop staring at Real Housewife of New York Ramona Singer -- who seemed to crave the cameras as much as they did her -- gabbing away, her arm slung easily over the interviewer's shoulder. Focusing more intently on the show notes on my lap, I read, "Roland drew inspiration from the Far East... the culminating of old with new, western technologies with eastern tradition." Her theme was East meets West. Hmmm. With a cliche as the main influence, the likelihood of a fresh, inventive collection just took a nosedive.
The show didn't do anything to make me want to let go of my preconceived notions, with a clumsy use of embroidery and lace that weighed it down in dated undertones. Don't get me wrong, the problem wasn't that an Asian influence dominated the entire show. The problem was that nothing did -- there was no organic thread to follow through the collection. Sure, it had a color scheme -- plums, crimsons, and camels all made appearances throughout -- but the colors could have been easily altered, and the collection wouldn't have even noticed.
As far as individual pieces go, Roland has a knack for channeling that old Hollywood glamour, played up by the models' red lips and swept-back updos. Some of the gowns -- sleek and figure-flattering -- would make any girl feel glam, which is why you see Roland's pieces sprinkled on the red carpet every now and then. But even these welcome distractions couldn't save a show that never hit the right note. By the time the Black Eyed Peas' "Time of My Life" came on (pretty early on), we were already way off key.
What do you think of the Pamella Roland fall 2011 collection?
All photos by Getty Images
