NEW YORK, July 9, 2012
By Nicole Phelps
Like other designers this season, Peter Som has been struck by wanderlust. He hasn't gotten further away than Fire Island himself lately, but pointing to the pictures of camels, Moorish doors, and Moroccan tiles on his Resort mood board, he described the look of his new collection as "nomad chic, with a Talitha Getty sort of feeling." Well, he who seeks shall find: After a Fall show that found him cozying up to a crisp, referential minimalism, his latest offering signaled something of a return to form, emphasizing the charming prints and colorful tweeds that have become, over a decade in the business, house signatures.
Those mood board photos of wall tiles inspired a striking mosaic vine print that appeared on everything from a matching pantsuit to a maxi dress; damask wallpaper, meanwhile, was the starting point for the blue and white cotton burnout he used for a long-sleeved dress. Som let the fabrics do the talking. If it backfired on him in the case of a tweed jacket and torn paper-print blouse worn with pink paillette pajama pants (those materials were practically shouting over each other to be heard), it worked well in the case of a simple T-shirt gown cut from aqua Chantilly lace. Talitha would've appreciated its zip-up-and-go efficiency.
