Not Just A Lady. Puppets & Puppets AW24

It’s so sad to hear that this was Puppets & Puppets‘ final collection in New York. Carly Mark is moving to London, and plans to shape her business around accessories. Unfortunately, of all the fashion capitals, New York is the least merciful towards emerging brands. And it’s a double-pity, because the autumn-winter 2024 collection was one of the finest works by Mark to date. Reducing all things superfluous and focusing on garment-making, the line-up offered some of the most brilliant ideas of this fashion week. There were lots and lots of tights, and that’s what the artist-turned-designer likes to wear when she’s in an Little Edie mood, just as she dons a hoodie and T-shirt when she feels like a basement lord. There was something seemingly haphazard about the lineup, which featured lots of wrapping and twisting and things tied on, while models clutched at their get-ups. This wasn’t to keep the clothes on, explained Mark backstage, but a gesture borrowed from fittings. Clutching one’s heart is also an instinctual movement made when things go south. Many of the patterns took the form of spirals; perhaps a metaphor for unraveling. Veils suggested an element of religion, which, if you think about it, has a twisted logic. For the time being, Mark is, in effect, becoming a fashion nun, in the sense that she’s abstaining from clothes making. Along with the more revealing looks were those that were almost proper. “Lady is a word we’ve actually been using a lot in the office,” said Mark. “When anything feels a bit lady, we fuck it up a little bit. But I think swans are an interesting conversation because Capote, in a way, was the puppet master to these refined women – or at least tried to be. I am really interested in not letting that happen to me. I am the puppet master. I am in control of my life and myself and the decisions I make. So if anything, I’m both Capote and the swan.” Looking forward to see what this exciting designer does next.