Fashion / Style

Nicki Minaj Rebounds From Cardi B Drama With a Leggy Oscar de la Renta Moment: Beyond the Fights of Fashion Week

BY // 09.17.18

NEW YORK — Oscar de la Renta designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia are taking the venerable label in a more relaxed direction. And they’re showing a lot more leg.

Many of the looks in their spring/summer ’19 collection, unveiled on a rooftop of a Tribeca building amid a light rain, featured chiffon gowns and printed skirts with above-the-thigh slits, super short cocktail dresses with long trains, and see-through embroidered tulle creations.

The duo, who have infused new energy into the brand since assuming the top position two years ago, told reporters the collection featured a sexier take on eveningwear, with a lighter sense of ease than previous efforts. They also took cues from an exotic holiday each took separately, with looks inspired by Moroccan and Indian adventures.

The duo featured sari-like looks based on a trip Garcia took to India and embroidered fringe styles inspired by Kim’s vacation to Morocco. Model Gigi Hadad appeared in an Indian-inspired kurta-pajama combo, with a striped shirt-style tunic over a pair of yellow trousers. And sister Bella Hadid opened the show in a colorful skirt with fringe detail that seems suited for an outing in Marrakech.

The designers added to their world view with Ikat print dresses (Kim noted that the late Oscar de la Renta favored the pattern in previous collections), poplin peasant blouses, raffia knitted skirts, crocheted pullovers, hooded caftans, and coats embroidered with red poppies. Some fabrics featured a map print tracing the Silk Road trade route from Turkey to Morocco to China and accessories further highlighted the exotic wanderlust theme with a leather birdcage handbag featuring a wallet in the shape of a bird, and tasseled flat sandals for evening wear, which seems like a great idea for a woman who seeks comfort and style at nighttime social events.

For longtime customers who still favor a more traditional de la Renta look, the collection includes a fantastic canary yellow strapless ballgown with a big skirt that’s bound to show up at a major Texas charity ball.

Watching the show from the front row were Nicki Minaj and her mother, Carol Maraj, both sporting similar platinum blonde hairstyles, and Kate Beckinsale, who drew raves in a body-hugging black Oscar de la Renta cocktail dress. Minaj was mum about her dramatic encounter earlier in the week with Cardi B at the Harper’s Bazaar Icons party, in which Cardi B lunged at Minaj and suffered a nasty bump on the forehead during the melee.

A few days later, Cardi B made light of the situation, posting an Instagram photo of a young fan in a copy of the red gown she had worn to the event, but noting a key detail was missing. “Sooooooo buteeeeee❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️,” she wrote. “She forgot the knot 😩😩😩💪🏾.”

Part of the Special Series:

PaperCity - On the Runway Spring 2019

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