SS20

Fabergé, Tsardom and Patrick Bateman. Puppets & Puppets SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Small and independent brands in New York are unconventional, eclectic and intriguingly chaotic. And they catch your attention right away. Meet Puppets and Puppets, an indie label launched earlier this year by contemporary artist Carly Mark and garment construction student, Ayla Argentina. Their spring-summer 2020 collection is, as the designers sum up, an intersection point of tsar’s vestments and archetypal American capitalist uniform, a place where fantasy still exists. Basically speaking, the collection is a surprising remix of inspirations like Fabergé eggs, the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia and… American Psycho. There were some cheeky intepretations of the imperial egg – shoes fashioned from egg cartons and little bralette nipple coverings made to look like fried eggs (very Sarah Lucas) – but there were also some very literal nods, like the  garments constructed with bulbous, protruding crinolines at the hips. Meanwhile the hand-knitted floral tunic-dress or the green velvet top styled with a red, full-skirt embroidered with forest animals motifs sparked affiliations of tsarist opulence and love for intricate craftsmanship (my first throught once seeing those looks: Ulyana Sergeenko’s brand, but not this strictly elegant and done in a funky, New York way). Speaking of American Psycho, this part felt a bit forced and unneeded, but somehow worked with the rest of the collection. White shirts with red ties and Wall Street tailoring were here, but went through complete exaggeration of volumes and lenghts. Puppets and Puppets spring-summer 2020 is fun and theatrical, but when you put the clothes apart, they seem to be approachable and wearable. I wonder what direction the brand takes next.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Summer. Rosie Assoulin SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Rosie Assoulin’s home jars of D.I.Y pickled veggies, which were gifted to her guests during the spring-summer 2020 presentation, had to be as delicious as the collection itself. The designer showed the perfect laid-back look for summer: an over-sized white shirt, a matching bra and a long, loosely-fitted sarong skirt. Another outfit you will cherish when you’re mentally on a beach, but physically in the city: a paisley-printed shirt worn with a floor-lenght skirt, in the boldest orange shade you can imagine. Assoulin’s offering is easy and instinctive, mood-lifting and joyous. The eveningwear, which for instance consisted of a midi dress that appeared to have multiple pieces (a sheer camisole, a triangle bra, and a full skirt) fused together and a dress with flaired sleeves that can instantly become a spectacular top once unbuttoned and worn with pale pink pants under, is all about comfort you want during hotter days or when you’re on vacations. Unforced and always flattering.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Spontaneous and Feminine. Maryam Nassir Zadeh SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Maryam Nassir Zadeh never dissapoints with her take on a spontaneous, feminine (but not too obvious) wardrobe. For her spring-summer 2020 collection, staged at a real-life park in the Lower East Side, the beloved New York-based designer had a number of inspirations that might have nothing in common: the beach, rave parties, John Cassavetes films, menswear and safari suits. But the way Nassir Zadeh puts her clothes together is beautifully edgy and sooner or later trickles down to bigger brands’ aesthetics (Ganni, I see you!). After her stay at Formentera, the designer loves wearing swimsuits as real clothes, so styling a bikini top with a masculine blazer was a sure thing for her to send down the runway (or rather, the park’s sports field). There was something very Prada spring-summer 1996 about this line-up as well. That was the moment Miuccia Prada officially introduced the good taste of bad taste with the ugly-pretty styling, sludge browns, avocado greens and hand-drawn prints (a nearly identical pattern appears in look 14, where Maryam puts together a matching yellow bikini with a pencil skirts and tops all that with a tiny, beige cardigan). Probably, 90s Prada wasn’t a straight-forward reference for Maryam, but then, who knows? This period in fashion is a gift that keeps on giving. Back to Nassir Zadeh. Granny-ish crotchet tops with beige bermuda shorts – and they look surprisingly good! – a neon green dress worn with an artisan glass necklace, a very mini mini-skirt styled with knee-lenght boots: these are just some examples of Maryam’s new season offerings. Plus, consider the collection as a styling cheat-sheet – those looks are just perfect for now, for September, when you still feel summer, but it’s getting colder.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Sister. Pyer Moss SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

After one season hiatus, Pyer Moss is back. And it’s really good. Kerby Jean-Raymond‘s spring-summer 2020 collection, presented in Brooklyn’s Kings Theater in Weeksville and entitled Sister, is the third and final chapter in the Pyer Moss’ “American, Also” trilogy – and it paid homage to Sister Rosetta Tharpe. A singer-songwriter who rose to popularity in the 1930s and 1940s, Tharpe is widely considered to be the godmother of rock & roll, though her legacy has been diminished in music’s history book. “I think relatively few people know that the sound of rock and roll was invented by a queer black woman in a church,” Jean-Raymond told Vogue backstage. “I wanted to explore what that aesthetic might have looked like if her story would have been told.” There were obvious nods to Tharpe’s musicianship: the shape of her guitar was threaded through the curvy lapels of satin coats, and the most literal reference was a guitar-shaped handbag. There were subtle nods to her style too: a slightly monastic scarlet silk tunic layered over matching satin pants, for example. Tharpe wasn’t the only black musician on the Pyer Moss mood board. Look closely at the chunky gold beads that were threaded onto braids and strung on statement necklaces, and you will notice the spirit of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. The rousing soundtrack included songs by several more legendary black female artists, like Missy Elliott. During the finale, the gospel sang Cardi B’s already-iconic Money and the audience went crazy. Not only music plays a crucial role in Kerby’s creative process. After last season’s partnership with Derrick Adams, Jean-Raymond sought out the talent of Richard Phillips, an artist who recently made headline news after he was exonerated after spending 45 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Pyer Moss doesn’t only educate on culture. The brand also gets political (“Vote or Die (For real this Time)” slogan on a tank-top actually conveys a meaning, not just some empty words) and… makes you want the clothes! They aren’t heavy due to the weight of references behind them. It’s worth mentioning that the designer is also the new artistic director at Reebok, and his athleisure offering in the end of the show well balanced the collection. Take a better look at this label, I tell you!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Community and Our Planet. Collina Strada SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Hillary Taymour’s brand, Collina Strada, is another line-up from NYFW that will make you smile. This label is all about sustainability, but not in a shallow, ‘trendy’ way: each season, it focuses on community, a balanced life and our planet. The invitation listed a number of points that would help Mother Earth: eat less meat, start a garden, grow your own food, learn to compost, buy vintage and plant many trees were just some. The runway was staged on a street, along stalls of home-grown vegetables and fruits, free for pick-up (and perfect for a in-between-the-shows brunch). The models weren’t actual models, but friends of the brand, at different ages, sizes and races. They walked along their babies and pets. This was a raw and truly “real” fashion show. And the fashion was equally laid-back: it had the signature Collina Strada D.I.Y. feeling about it, full of tie-dye and garments made out of upcycled textiles and fabrics. I love New York’s small, independent brands.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.