Big D Energy. Diesel Resort 2023

August 14, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

From sustainability to Julia Fox, Glenn Martens’s first 18 months at Diesel have been dedicated to aligning the 1978-founded denim disruptor with both the deeper values and shallower preoccupations of now. In this resort 2023 collection he continued that mission through a further two-pronged emphasis on the serious and the superficial, with both sides of that binary expressed via Martens’s expertly twisted aesthetic. The serious bedrock continues to be in expanding the sustainable operations of this hybrid house. A reconfigured, jersey-specific core line named Diesel Essentials will from this collection forward be made from all-organic cotton, trimmed in recycled materials, and finished with “low impact” treatments and prints. Prime examples here included a fluoro trio of ruched asymmetrical skirts worn under a hoodie, tee, and turtle. On the side, Martens expanded the recently-launched Diesel Rehab Denim capsule – made from denim off-cuts, recycled cotton, and recycled elastane – into pieces including the season’s decadently pocketed utility pants and padded jackets. He added that a for-now exclusively Italian pilot scheme to buy-back and repurpose vintage Diesel through resale or upcycling is showing promising results. This responsible practice lends Martens’s Diesel ample clear-of-conscience wiggle room to play around with the brand’s ethos, which he said is: “to have fun, enjoy life, and be successful in every situation that you are in.” Highlights for sybarites included trompe-l’oeil bumsterish cut jeans for women and men, those ornamentally utilitarian pieces, acres of (sustainable) distressed and sometimes-waterproofed denim, retro-futuristic and logo-heavy clingy metallic knit dresses, gothically scripted skintight motowear, and a surprising diversion into tailoring. With Martens at the helm, Diesel has in short order pretty much defined its new manifesto of sustainable semi-seditious sexiness.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Tensions. Khaite Resort 2023

August 13, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

Khaite‘s resort 2023 collection, as Cate Holstein went on to explain, picks up where the “sharp, stealth New York woman” aesthetic of her autumn-winter runway left off. Let’s say there’s a whole lot of badassery happening, from the leather chokers that accent nearly every look on down to the blunt-toed boots. Leather outerwear is a foundational category at Khaite. Cropped motorcycle jackets mingle with oversized bombers, including one that opens the lookbook with heavy-duty studding at the shoulders. The tailoring, in leather and otherwise, takes its proportions from menswear. “We’re predominantly a feminine brand,” Holstein said, “but in order to bring out that femininity you have to have elements of men’s, otherwise it goes in a girly direction, which we try to steer clear from.” It’s not that there aren’t girly embellishments here. Sequins are another recurring motif, as seen on a shift dress with a mock turtleneck as easy-wearing as a t-shirt and on a slip dress that grazes the ankle. The most novel pieces however involved not surface treatments, but volume play. A yoke-waisted skirt that ballooned out to the knees and a plissé shirtdress with poet sleeves were surprise hits of sweetness amidst the collection’s stealth glamour.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Je Ne Sais Quoi. Officine Générale SS23

August 7, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

In the courtyard of Hotel de Soubise, Officine Générale‘s spring-summer 2023 looks came out languidly, arranged in color stories that shifted slowly across the cobbles in the waning evening sunshine. This was the brand’s 10th anniversary show, and yet so many people discover it just now. It was also one of those shows where you end up playing fantasy personal shopping, because this was less an impactful fashion pop song than carefully conducted piece of apparel mood music. After this gentle show had come to its end, founder Pierre Mahéo emerged to deserved applause. Backstage, the designer pointed out that around 80% of sales are currently outside France, and was refreshingly pragmatic about the formula he’s found. He said: “I think there is an evolution in what we show today in terms of styling, and in terms of putting things together, but the base is the fit, the cut, and the fabrics… The formula is being fair by offering good material at a very decent price, manufactured in Portugal and Italy.” You can’t argue with that. Pretty much, this collection is perfect. Just take a look at all these great cotton knits, chino pants, effortless tailoring, quilted marine jackets and timeless trench coats.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

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Mix-And-Match Lady. Tory Burch Resort 2023

August 4, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

Tory Burch is going through a renaissance. Her latest collections are just so, so good. “You can only control so much in your life at the moment, and one of the things you can control is the way you dress and how you look. I think that’s an incredible creative outlet. Individual creative expression is what I’m really interested in right now.” A year ago, the experience of the pandemic led Tory Burch to Claire McCardell, a post-war designer celebrated for the chic functionality of her dresses. Fast forward to 2022, Burch is leaning into more eccentric and freer style, which is still in dialogue with McCardell’s design ethos. Resort 2023 is all about details: the plastic charms fringing the waistline of cropped jackets; the parachute lining peeking from underneath a-line skirts (it’s removable); the lurex fuzz of popover knits. These are the building blocks of the Tory Burch wardrobe, but they’re not square or boring. Quite the opposite. A sense of play permeates the season, whether it’s the raffia tassels that accent the baggy cargo pants she paired with a sleeveless tweed peplum top or the two-piece dress consisting of a little wrap shirt over a yoke-waist skirt with lots of volume (padding at the hips and hem give it shape). Most experimental are a pair of party looks whose tops and skirts are cut on the round with zig-zag edges trimmed in beads. In mismatched but complementary floral prints, these outfits put the emphasis on craft and quirk. Though it’s rooted in American sportswear, with its mix-and-match possibilities, the collection wears its utility lightly. It looks like a lot of fun.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Rise. Roland Mouret Resort 2023

August 2, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

Last autumn’s news of Roland Mouret‘s collapse into administration was yet another reality check for the fashion industry: the consequences of global pandemic, from inflation to dynamically changing customer patterns, have no mercy. But with a surprising resort 2023 presence, it seems that the London-based designer’s label is rising from the ashes. For his first offering under newly-formed umbrella company SP Collection (owner of Self Portrait), Mouret brought forth fresh energy, while acknowledging his brand’s heritage. “To exist in the present, you must understand your own history,” said the designer at a showroom set-up in London’s Claridge’s hotel. “Now, it’s time to modernize our signatures to reflect how people want to dress today.” I was never really a fan of Mouret’s fashion – his runway collections felt overworked, the brand’s visual communication lacked freshness and kick. In his return collection, the designer streamlines his offering, presenting the most sublime silhouettes in his repertoire. And, believe it or not, the echoes of his signature “Galaxy” dress still do the work in 2022. Floor-length dresses range from rib-knit cashmere with fluted skirts in lilac, to iridescent micro-sequin gowns in crimson and emerald. Midi and mini-dresses are gently nipped at the waist with ruched and cut-out details. The tailoring is particularly exemplary, with two-piece wool suits in jet black, camel, and magenta featuring exaggerated shoulders and matching straight-cut and flared pants. As a designer who’s attained distinction with his trademark drape and construction, the garments play to his strengths yet feel new with their off-kilter-ness. “We’ve also updated our price points for the contemporary consumer market,” says Mouret. “It was a decision that made perfect sense for where we’re headed.” It seems that the brand is now branching out into the world of party-girl dressing, in addition to still being a go-to for workwear and cocktail attire. Looking forward to see more of the new Roland Mouret brand.