Was there a show this fashion week viewed with more apprehension than Peter Copping’s first turn as Creative Director of Oscar de la Renta? When the beloved designer passed just a week after naming Copping his successor, many wondered if Copping had had enough time with the fashion titan to inhabit his brand. A lengthy profile in the New York Times just days before and a countdown by the brand’s own social media team added weight to the event, if it wasn’t already evident that all eyes would be on Mr. Copping.<br /><br />But there was little need to worry. Copping delivered, in his own way.<br />As he had promised in the Times profile, there were similarities — appliqué flowers and ladylike silhouettes come to mind — to de la Renta. There was still the elegance and the color (though a bit more restrained) that defined de la Renta’s vision of what a lady wants to wear.<br /><br />But a seventies-inspired frock, striped coats with heavy fringe and graphic tweeds were all his own, and the more numerous cocktail dresses underlined the changing of the guard. It was enough of a departure to differentiate Copping from his predecessor, but it still held true to Oscar’s brand.
