Backstage before the Vaquera show, designers Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee spoke about superstition and warding off evil. Their spring 2022 collection definitely banished any bad vibes. It wasn’t just that the models stomped with such fury you could practically feel the negativity evaporating from Cortlandt Alley, but that DiCaprio and Taubensee’s collection had a particular lightness.
It might seem counterintuitive from the images. Sure there is plenty of black and tons of volume, but even the most gigantic pieces—see: the trash bag dress—had an ebullient buoyancy. Taubensee walked in a neon green lace veil that was so breezy she worried it would blow right off. A striped, Norma Kamali-esque jumpsuit had wings to catch the air and even thick denim shorts and jeans were cut ultra loose so that they danced around models’ hips. (The potential for a little upper tush exposure was high—and then, voilà, a pair of orange leggings came out with a heart cut right out of the backside. Sweet and kinky.)
With the support of Dover Street Market Paris, Vaquera’s collections have become more viable for production. That’s not to say DiCaprio and Taubensee are designing with commerciality in mind—a safety pin slip dress took DiCaprio days to make, and he has the calloused fingertips to prove it. But they are fleshing out their offering with more dresses, more bralettes, more shorts, and more humor. The neon pieces and mock reflective tape are sure to inspire customers looking for a killer reemergence look, and for the more cherubic Vaquera kids there’s a genius new accessory in the form of an extra-long ruffled sash. In sequins and frills, it can be thrown over anything for a dash of cheeky fun. Positive vibes abound.
