Maryam Nassir Zadeh‘s resort 2023 collection looks like the inside of a well-packed luggage that’s on the way to a summer-perfect, beachy, breezy, always-sunny destination. Sheer camisole tops and slouchy pants that feel just the right kind of vintage-y. Over-sized t-shirts, wrap skirts and denim bermudas in faded neutral colours, looking as if left exposed to sunlight for days. Charming accessories that seem off-and-odd-but-oh-so-good, like the blue taffeta bracelet-scrunchie, funky ornate belts and necklaces with big, ceramic beads. Groovy, hand-made macrame appeared in form of sachets and eclectic inserts, (not) randomly placed on a men’s leather biker jacket’s back or at the pants’ waist. And of course the latest addition to Nassir Zadeh’s brand: the blue towel with MNZ’s logo, made from the finest frotte, resembling the one that would lie by the pool in some lovely, off-the-track boutique hotel by the French Riviera or somewhere in Sicily.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!
Gabriela Hearst’s resort 2023 collection started with a dream about a woman on a horse. She was a chieftain at the top of a mountain of fire. Hearst, who often taps into her Uruguayan roots, layered these clothes with equestrian touches. There are long leather coats debossed in a swirling pattern of her design finished with whipstitched edges and buttons engraved with the same curving motif, and a new leather bag has been finished with a contrasting leather bottom that she said was meant to evoke the sole of a riding boot. As ever, Hearst emphasized craft. The crochet cashmere dresses and separates – again, in that swirl design – are the work of many women’s hands and many hundreds of hours, she explained. “I like working with other women,” she said. “I think of that Gloria Steinem quote: ‘We are linked, not ranked.’ We all have to start helping each other more.” The patchwork chambray and denim pieces are the result of a new collaboration with Anna Foster of E.L.V. Denim, who sources vintage jeans and reworks them. You’ll notice the curving seams. Materials are Hearst’s other driving passion. Of particular note is the silk of fine tailored outerwear and suits for both women and men, and the substantial, lustrous black silk of a double-breasted tuxedo. An evening number married that silk with a ribbed knit bodice. “That’s not easy to do, to get it to fall right,” she said. The hard work resulted in an effortless, highly elegant dress.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!
The creative dynamic Luke and Lucie Meier have brought to Jil Sander isn’t just a reflection of the two of them sharing art and life, but also an echo of the big-picture conversation about the redefinition of identities around the intersection of masculine and feminine codes. “In our designs there’s always this tension between the masculine and the feminine,” they mused in their studio in Milan. “It’s always there in some form or another.” The husband and wife pair complement each other with the same easy flair that they give their experiments between rigor and plasticity, severity and fluidity. They describe their process as an exercise in “searching and finding that right pull, whether it’s an artisanal gesture breaking something very strict, or something soft being broken by something very rigid and structured. That play is always there.” For resort their search for a point of symmetric repose between opposites played out in what they called “deflating couture,” a turn of phrase defining sculptural, elegant volumes “collapsing” into softer, gentler, fluid shapes. Seen through this lens, their suiting consisted of sharp-cut, narrow-shouldered, and fitted jackets worn over ultra-voluminous trousers, almost like next-generation palazzo pants. The sartorial is a territory the Meiers navigate skillfully, favoring extreme precision in cutting and construction as well as a romantic feel for the handcrafted; a case in point was a sharp-structured, overcoat in a pale mauve, without lapels, fastened with a single hand-blown glass jewel button, and worn over a black tunic with a feminine ruffled collar. The play between fluidity and structure gave the collection character and appeal, and was consistent throughout. An elongated dress of voluminous couture construction was made in delicate white cotton voile, a rather humble material; straight-cut tunics and tops with plunging necklines were given a transformable twist with the addition of turtlenecks or t-shirts in contrasting colors worn underneath. The season’s version of the tuxedo had a similar versatile approach; it was proposed as a fluid combination of a pleated-bib black chemise and a pair of billowy, liquid trousers. You cannot take the sense of rigorous chic out of the Meiers.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!
Nicola Brognano slightly shifted the Blumarine look for resort 2023, “toning down the bling”. What stayed firmly in place, however, was the Y2K inspo that triggered the attention this brand has been getting lately. Sticking to your guns is always a good move if a designer wants to cut a consistent position in the fashion firmament. That’s what Brognano seems to be consistenly pursuing. The designer, who by his own admission has no affinity for talking about inspirations or references, said that he now has a tougher, less pretty image of the Blumarine woman in his mind. To summarize: her mood as of now is more street than saucy, more femme than Lolita. No surprise though that Brognano’s take on streetwear is tinged with sass. New additions to the Blumarine wardrobe were sexy ribbed tank tops with a refreshed goth logo; cool ultra-cropped sweats with hoodies layered liberally over or under those tank tops; oversized poplin shirts turned into outrageously-mini ruffled dresses; and various iterations of the multi-pocketed cargo pants that have become one of Blumarine’s signatures. They were proposed in liquid satin in a bright shade of turquoise, worn with a matching belted duster, and a barely-there bra showing vast expanses of bare midriff, while in their newest version they came printed with a camo motif that was actually a trompe l’oeil rose. Amping up the collection’s more urban, utilitarian vibe, the ubiquitous cargos morphed into motorcycle pants in pale denim-colored distressed leather, or were worn under maxi crocheted cardis and long slouchy chiffon slipdresses. Brognano offered proof of a versatile approach, and that he has enough nerve to play with Blumarine’s range with confidence.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!
Marisa Berenson came running into Thom Browne’s salon-like spring 2023 menswear show. Farida Khelfa and Dree Hemingway followed, and Sasha Pivavorova emerged last, rushing to get to her front row seat. The women wore fantastical suits from Browne’s resort 2023 collection, a small preview of what is being released this week, almost a month after Browne’s sexily tweeded guys hit the catwalk. “I knew the collections were connected,” Browne said, “but I didn’t realize how well it was going to work.” The women had the kind of bravado required to pull off a mannish floral jacquard blazer or a pastel color-blocked midi skirt suit. “They are women who have lived interesting lives,” Browne said of his muses, who also include artist Anh Duong and photographer Cate Underwood. “Accomplished, strong, and iconic in their own way.” That’s the Browne promise: even for those of us who live the most normal of existences, his clothes offer the opportunity to feel extraordinary and unique. There’s no way to slip into a white suit embroidered with children’s storybook scenes and not experience an almost instant mood lift or to pack your things into a giant sunflower backpack and not smile. This season, Browne has supersized some of his proportions and continues to play with pleated skirts, allowing his sometimes overly strict vision to attract people with different body types and ways of life. Still, the classics are always Browne’s favorites. “It’s true to what I did 20 years ago and it still feels so new and strong,” he said. “It shows there is still a way for us to go forward.” Going forward, trying new things, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in fashion – well, that’s just the Thom Browne way. It’s no wonder that many are drawn to his unconventional approach. “The love you see in these pictures,” he said, “was free.”
Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!
Design & Culture by Ed 