Dennis Basso's Spring 2013: We Defy You To Find A More Luxe Collection

By Bonnie Datt Sep 12, 2012, 9:30am EDT

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Entering Dennis Basso's presentation at the St. Regis Hotel yesterday was like stepping into a Thomas Wolfe novel about old New York society. The lights from crystal chandeliers flickered off the hotel ballroom's ornate gold leaf trim, illuminating the female guests' expertly coiffed hair, and when those women weren't excitedly rushing to air kiss the designer of the hour, they were "oohing" and "aahing" over what truly were some gorgeous dresses.

We can't imagine that any other designer's collection this week was more lavish. The clothing was beautifully extravagant, with occasional touches of whimsy. Basso attributed this to his desire to have, "A little bit of something extra and not take things so serious." The designer shared with us that the collection was inspired by life at the glamorous society resort of Deauville, France, back in the '60s, explaining, "We totally took that era and transformed it into beautiful dresses and gowns for the modern woman today." Many of the collection's designs were festooned with beading, lace, fringe, and enough creatively styled fur pieces that we think it's safe to say that PETA was not a sponsor. Take a peek after the jump.