Style & Fashion

It’s always a bit of a guessing game, seeing a rack of Jenny Packham’s beautiful red carpet gowns, because in front of you are a series of garments you will likely be seeing on your TV screen at an awards ceremony pretty soon.

Indeed, Packham told a reporter on Sunday that yes, there would be at least one celebrity wearing her at the British BAFTA awards in a week’s time. And yes, next stop Oscars. Discreet silence all around.

Hers is still the most civilized show at NYFW. Packham showed her latest collection by private appointment at her Meatpacking District showroom, and said she had been inspired by the idea of an intergalactic fashion show, an outer space red carpet, “because we all just want to escape right now don’t we?”

Packham is best known and cherished by her celebrity clients like Kate Middleton, Viola Davis, Angelina Jolie, and Kate Winslet, because Packham knows how to make things slink and sparkle.

The treat of seeing her dresses up close is to see the delicate design and stitching of bugle beads, diamanté, and sequins. The most space-like dress, echoing other stunning gowns at Christian Siriano, was black and covered in sparkle. Photographed on the red carpet, it will look like its own fireworks display at night.

A select few of Packham dresses come with no spangle. More classic Golden Age of Hollywood-inspired creations, they are beautiful, but the eye is always drawn back to the shine and spangle, as are the stars who wear them so dedicatedly.