Carolina Herrera Fall 2023

New York designers are divided into two camps, those who are meeting the darkness of the moment with understatement and in some cases austerity, and others who are responding with color, verve, and joie de vivre. It should come as no surprise that Carolina Herrera’s Wes Gordon is on the side of joy. “This house exists and has existed for so long because it promises to women who come to us something that makes them feel beautiful and happy,” he said. He has a personal reason to be happy, too. He and his husband welcomed their second child last week, a little girl. He put “Georgia on My Mind” on the soundtrack in her honor.

We were back in a ballroom at the Plaza for today’s show. As the models emerged from backstage, they paused before descending a staircase. That was fitting: Gordon specializes in entrance makers, no matter the occasion. Beforehand he said he likes to blend the distinctions between day and night, which meant that a short skirt suit was embellished with clusters of large crystals, while a fitted sheath was cut from yellow and white striped cotton poplin. Gordon is feeling more at home at Herrera than ever. Backstage he mentioned the Netflix series The Empress, which centers around the 19th century Viennese court of Sisi of Austria; he identifies with it because “the same combination is what made Mrs. Herrera and what made the house—that discipline and severity with the flamboyance.”

Images Courtesy of Armando Grillo.