In Paul Verhoeven’s “Basic Instinct,” Sharon Stone is largely remembered for not wearing a certain basic undergarment. Yet her wardrobe from that 1992 film, infamous interrogation scene included, had a minimalist chic that reverberates still — especially as all things ’90s rush back into fashion.
Stone loomed large on Lorenzo Serafini’s mood board backstage because “she was so seductive in such very light, essential clothes,” he explained.
Dynamism, ease and comfort were what the designer was after in his spring collection, where gauzy wool voile heightened the slouchy nature of his loose, masculine tailoring, and membrane-thin jersey was draped into Madame Grès-esque goddess dresses, minus the boning and the grandeur.
Jerry Goldsmith’s eerie score for Verhoeven’s exotic thriller accompanied models as they stalked a vast white carpet, adding an undercurrent of intrigue as they strolled by, their wool voile trenchcoats and trousers vaguely transparent as they billowed.
The pale neutral palette brought to mind Stone’s icy cool style, but also felt practical as global warming makes summers steamier and more challenging for workplace dressing.
Serafini said he simply wants to “give women the possibility to live confidently in a dress without feeling restricted.” Occasionally, however, jersey and knit tops clung as tightly as latex.
The show picked up considerably when the crystal mesh sheaths appeared, and the draped jersey dresses, which had a disco vibe that seems second nature for Serafini as he nudges the brand past its romantic roots.
