Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times A piece from the Narciso Rodriguez spring collection. View the collection.
The first looks of the spring Narciso Rodriguez collection included a gray linen canvas dress, slightly nipped at the waist, with a baby pink lingerie strap across the open back, and a similar gray jacket worn open (the closures were hidden) over a light pink slip of a top. They had something in common with a look that is familiar to millions of women, the gray corporate suit worn over a pink blouse, but these seemed to be distant descendants. They looked like more modern and liberated cousins.
Mr. Rodriguez slips easily between clothes that look right for day the longish charcoal jackets cleaned of any sign of a lapel or a button and the sensual lingerie-like gowns for night.
For spring, he introduced a floral pattern on the sheer insets of his dresses, and showed one with a layer of gold sequins underneath sheer black netting that had a fairytale quality. Pure Narciso, said the designer Yeohlee Teng, a friend of Mr. Rodriguez who was in the audience.
The designer, when he took his bow, looked more confident than he has in some time, and the audience picked up on that mood.
Joanna Coles, the editor of Marie Claire, said: It was fantastic. Very often, he looks depressed, but today he was cheerful. He knew he hit it right out of the park.
View the full collection.