The setting couldn’t be beat. Sunset. A sunken square courtyard filled for the occasion with pale blush crushed stone, in front of Diego Rivera’s imposing volcanic rock temple to the arts in Mexico City.
“Having a sunset palette hitting volcanic rock, it was an immediate no-brainer for me,” creative director Wes Gordon said of choosing Museo Anahuacalli for Thursday night’s Carolina Herrera resort 2025 show, the brand’s second destination show and first see now, buy now experiment.
On the runway, it was a celebration of color, which has been Gordon’s “north star” in his role, and a celebration of Mexican craft.
Gordon worked a gorgeous color wheel of pale pink, marigold yellow, lawn green, ultramarine blue and Herrera red, using geometric motifs reminiscent of Mexican architecture to create striking looks such as the opener, a strapless gown in pink silk faille with a golden circle on the pleated skirt like the setting sun, or a black allover embroidered halter column with a dramatic curved neckline.
He didn’t skimp on embellishments. A sunset-hued paillette cocktail shaker of a dress was a stunner, as was an ice blue crepe column dress with a flutter of gold butterfly embroideries.
Gordon also looked to Mexico for decoration, bringing four Mexican female artisans into the creative process to make one-of-a-kind pieces interwoven into the collection.
“When we do a destination show, it’s really important to us that it’s not just recreating New York Fashion Week in a different place,” he said. “We view this as a real honor and an opportunity to collaborate and enrich our story.…The reason we’re here is because we’re inspired by Mexico — and it was such an amazing opportunity to collaborate with these four talented women,” he said, underscoring their shared language with Herrera.
These luxury designers of Mexico, as one should call them, brought the art of embroidery, talavera blue glaze ceramics and painted jícaras to ready-to-wear and accessories, including a double-breasted ultramarine blue blazer with ceramic talavera tiles by Jacqueine Espana on the lapels; a pink-and-green floral and animal shirt embroidered like a huipal by María de los Ángeles Licona San Juan, Maestra Nähñu, worn with clay-colored palazzo pants, and an extraordinary halter gown made of strips of black and white embroidery with tiny birds and flowers by Virginia Veronica Arce-Arce. The artisan pieces will be available by special order.
“You could feel the heritage,” said actress Nava Mau, a Mexico City native, after the show. She was right — the workmanship was incredible.
The collection also marked the debut of a Carolina Herrera x Frame denim collaboration, with several silhouettes beyond jeans, including a colorful currant-red denim pencil skirt worn with a blue bodysuit, a washed blue ball skirt and jean jacket look. They added a casual approachability to the house offerings without sacrificing the diva drama.
Gordon was inspired by Mexico City’s Mercado Jamaica flower market to create a vibrant mixed floral print which looked beautiful on a one-shoulder dress, while the wrought iron balconies of Polanco came through in the black-and-white moments at the end of the show.
All together, it was the ideal marriage of the spirit of Herrera and the spirit of Mexico City, and a coup for the Puig-owned brand as it continues to build its luxury fashion category alongside its booming fragrance business.
“Our key brand codes — color, joy, happiness, optimism, flowers, the things that make Herrera Herrera — also happen to make Mexico City Mexico City,” Gordon said. “I think you notice it with the people after being here, the kindness and the smiles and the joy. And that’s how I approach every day at work.”
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