Vera Wang Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Vera Wang spent a month this summer in Watermill not far from the polo fields there. She’s not a rider, but she found herself taken with the horses’ elegance and beauty. The rigor and discipline of equestrian dress also held appeal. She had a starting point for her new collection.

This isn’t your typical horsey collection, however. Though she spent part of her career at Ralph Lauren before launching her bridal label 30-odd years ago, when she’s not wearing her own creations she says she’s more of a Balenciaga and Rick Owens girl. Wang sees things through a couture-inflected, goth-leaning lens.

Many of the looks she put together are separates-driven, but there’s no denying the dressiness of the clothes. That’s intentional. “There’s been so much street wear in fashion,” in the wake of the pandemic, she said. “I’m in the mood for something different, a certain kind of romance.”

Enter a showstopper of a ballgown, made from 55 yards of lightweight black taffeta, its tiered skirt accented with elaborate integrated rosettes. What its picture doesn’t reveal is that it’s built on a strapless bathing suit, making it both historical and modern at once, and quite cheeky too.

Wang likes that kind of tension. That’s why an organza trapeze dress, for instance, is decorated with utility pockets, why high-waisted short-shorts are finished with garter belt details at their hems, and why another taffeta gown is cut high in front with a yards-long train in back.

Historical elements in the form of panniers, bustles, and crinolines were everywhere on the spring runways. Wang approached the trend with a welcome dose of woman-friendly pragmatism. Her quilted duchesse silk peplums are in essence accessories, which means less commitment and more versatility—a good combination.