Jonathan Saunders is coming up on a year at Diane von Furstenberg. “Eleven and a half months,” as he pointed out. The winter collection — “formerly known as resort,” said Saunders — is his fourth for the house. Meanwhile, his first collection is still in stores now, including the DVF flagship on 14th Street, where the winter presentation was held on the second floor.
The setup made for an easy comparison between Saunders’ debut effort and his most recent: After a very strong start, he’s kept the momentum up over the course of his first year. Of the several creative directors who have gone through DVF’s doors in the recent past, Saunders seems to have a grip on how to finesse the brand backbone — color, print, cheerful glamour — with an eye toward sophistication and modernization without going too far in either direction. Working with bias-cut silhouettes and simple shapes has been key to reining in the mixed prints and color.
This lineup was “rooted in antiquity,” Saunders said. “I was looking at Victorian textile design, traditional arts and crafts, and decorative patterns.” Those references came through in floral prints and rich colors — blue, pink, bordeaux — on a ruched silk
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