Picture Copyright: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Dennis Basso certainly likes to cause a stir, and his latest collection shown at New York Fashion Week was certainly destined to turn heads, and give the PETA protestors something to shout about.
Showing luxurious fur collections of mink, lynx and chinchilla, Basso mixed into his range some nicely tailored pieces, which we think may have tried to detract, just a tad from the amount of fur being shown.
Having first launched his ready-to-wear collection nearly three years ago now, you would have thought he may have found a niche within the fashion world, but with this collection over we have to say he's not quite there yet.
The quilted fur jackets with leather detailing were nice, fresh and cleanly cut, while the fitted cardigans and shrugs with fur trim were also very well designed.
Long billowing gowns of sheer fabric in a taupe colour were nicely autumnal, but teamed with yet more fur made that, rather than the dress the focal point.
We loved the black fishtail gown, which sashayed down the catwalk near the end of the runway show. It was simple, elegant and gorgeously designed- we could easily imagine a A-list celeb in it come Oscar season next year.
Some other highlights included the cut-out shoes, huge clutch bags and some to-die-for leather fingerless gloves, teamed with some wild turquoise rings.
Unfortunately that was where it ended for us, as the sheer amount of fur shown in the collection was too overwhelming to even form an opinion on the rest of his range.
Designers have faced massive pressure from PETA for years now, about the use of real fur in collections, and while many have bended to the pressure, Basso has not and has in fact managed to secure a whole new host of celebrity supporters.
Anna Wintour, Candace Bushell and Brooke Shields are all front row regulars, so perhaps he has no need to worry what anyone thinks of him or his collection. Roll on SS10?
FemaleFirst- Laura Terry