Zuhair Murad has stars in his eyes. One is Taylor Swift, with whom he has collaborated since last fall. But for resort the designer turned his attention to two of Hollywood’s brightest from the past: Joan Crawford and Raquel Welch. Drawing liberally on Crawford and Welch’s super-sexy heydays, he offered up a collection that he conceived as part 1920s-inflected opulence, part ’70s sultry, with a few motifs that nod to Art Deco icons like New York’s Chrysler and Empire State buildings for good measure. (A closer look confirms that his initials are part of the mix too.)

Somewhat unexpectedly, many of these looks find Murad in a relatively minimalistic mode, as though he had resolved to let bold color—fuchsia, periwinkle, yellow—and negative space do the talking, perhaps with an assist from a few sparkly coils of diamanté. Mixes of macramé and lace are treated tonally—for example, on a yellow off-the-shoulder bohemian dress or a faux-prim white dress with long sleeves, a tiered skirt, and a lavaliere collar.

Though you can’t see it here, many of these looks are intended to make not only a dramatic entrance but also a theatrical exit thanks to backless cuts. In case anyone needs a little extra cover, Murad also threw in a sharp-looking trench this season—that piece is a new exercise for him and one that his clients in northerly climes will no doubt appreciate.