WORKING ALL THE RIGHT ANGLES

And we’re off.  Just as you feel the warm summer beginning to wane, up pops Mercedes-Benz Spring/Summer 2014 Fashion Week, and you’re reminded that, somewhere, in the distance, as a reward for enduring the coming trials of winter, summer will be back.  And we’re all going to need clothes.

For me, Fashion Week began with Richard Chai and his light and airy, geometrically-inspired “Love” collection, matched with his much more masculine menswear.

The “Love” began with a pure white blouse topping white-with-red horizontal-striped pants and a white pencil skirt.  What followed was a summer celebration in red and white:  cool dresses in wavy prints, the brightest red pantsuit with wide, wide legs, even a few pops of poppies under the softest leather biker jacket or a flowing red top.

The patterns were wild, but not blindingly so.  They played up the angular theme perfectly with lines and spaces, circles and squares.  The red turned to a vivid blue, then black and white and even a bright green tartan, nearly all of it anchored in crisp summer white.

His menswear line was also basic white, a clean look that took you back to a different era with pops of blue and bright orange.  His partnership with Andrew Marc leathers meant a heavy focus on the fabric, a little unusual in a spring collection.  But, mixed with the lightness of his other materials, and the beautiful mix of textures, he really pulled it off.

For those who are a bit color-phobic, there was a generous selection of blacks for both men and women:  skirts, tops, suits and slacks. That carried through his party wear, sequined and sparkly for fun summer nights on the town.

Chic and fun and young, Richard Chai set the perfect tone for the week to come, and the summer that will be back a mere nine months from now.

Photography: Anton Brookes