Designer Dennis Basso celebrated his 35th anniversary in fashion with a collection dedicated to the international woman and her many travels. Held at the world-renowned Plaza Hotel, the show was nothing short of luxury, and, as a result, attracted celebrities such as Lisa Rinna, Ivana Trump, and the latest bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay.

Basso has gained a famous following because of his collections. This season’s featured a diverse group of runway models who wore gowns from a color palette that Basso described in the show notes as warm spice, rust, khaki, cayenne, violet, and aqua mixed with earthy neutrals in vanilla and sand. Not only did Basso create a rainbow of pieces, he also created pieces of different lengths such as mini, midi and, of course, ball gowns. Basso included hand embroidery and detailed metallic threading and mosaics in the dresses as well.

To complement the myriad of details in the clothing, Basso kept the makeup and accessories to a minimum with no-makeup makeup looks and neutral shoes of nude and rust. The hair was either pulled back with an embellished headband or was simply left bare.

Even though the dresses were beautiful and made everyone wish they could travel back in time to their senior prom, there was a major issue with the collection. In his show notes, Basso poetically described weightless furs in mink, sable, fox, lynx and broadtail [which are] stripped or sequined together with chiffon and tulle. While chiffon and tulle are gorgeous fabrics with Basso’s designs, the real fur is hard to ignore.

Though he may have been inspired by the costumes of “Game of Thrones” (an instrumental rendition of the theme song playing during part of the show), Basso cannot excuse his overzealous use of animal fur. It’s surprising to see animal fur depicted so liberally throughout a collection especially when designers such as Stella McCartney can create faux fur masterpieces that are just as soft and warm and environmentally friendly as the real thing.

Furs are also too rich and decadent for spring and summer. Basso marred the beauty of his dresses and gowns that floated as the models walked with heavy furs that are better for the Fall/Winter 2018 season. But at that point, Basso should consider faux fur.

Email Mallori Albright at [email protected].