Warren Noronha: One Fold Too Many
Written by: Godfrey Deeny
Photos by Gruber-FWD
LONDON, Feb 25, 2002/ FWD/ --- Anyone lamenting the difficulties facing young designers
should have attended the Warren Noronha collection Wednesday morning.
The prevailing opinion is that British designers are starved of support compared to their
colleagues in Paris and Milan.
In fact, to the outside eye, London Fashion Week seems awash in sponsorship money and
generous supporters.
Noronha is a case in point.
In his program notes, the designer thanks MAC for providing the makeup, tony tailors
Kilgour French Standbury and Holland & Sherry for the wool, and Perles de Tahiti and Alize
of France for their sponsorship.
That's not to say that Warren did not work hard on this collection, which was clearly prepared
by a designer determined to offer novel silhouettes and unusual draping techniques.
Unfortunately, the net result of the effort rarely worked.
Dresses were finely sculpted around the torso only to be finished with unlikely asymmetrical
hems; pretty blouses were rendered plain weird with billowing sleeves with a score of folds.
Never was well enough left alone. Nor did the color scheme flatter -- drab pinstripes and
garish surgeon green, to name just two, were also odd choices.
It also didn't help that the models appeared on the catwalk of Porchester Hall with
ill-looking, waxy faces.
They looked ready for a science fiction movie about a world-threatening disease -- which
hopefully will never receive funding.
Warren Noronha
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