Tess Giberson Resort 2015

Review by Maya Singer
Like a lot of people, Tess Giberson spent much of the interminable winter that just passed fantasizing about swimming pools. Those daydreams were the jumping-off point for her new collection, and in lots of ways, the inspiration was apt. Resort is all about daydreams of warm, sunny places and water lapping about, throwing off light. Giberson's translation of that emphasized slouchy, open-weave sweaters; sport-inspired pieces like jogging shorts; and optical, black-and-white knits and jacquards that riffed on the tile work commonly found at swimming pools. She also made nice use of mosaic-patterned crochet and a watercolor print of a palm tree that was painted by her husband. A few pieces here seemed out of place, like the stretch leather leggings in white, paneled in matching calf hair, but overall the collection struck the right breezy tone. A white denim suit, comprised of a jacket narrow about the shoulder and trousers with a barely-there flare, looked particular sharp. And a slipdress in aqua blue had a terrific, shrugged-on, diaphanous sexiness. These clothes were smart and appealing—if not as seductive as the notion of sunning by the side of a pool and then diving in. But then, what is?