Woman

Sustainability (For Real). Gabriela Hearst AW20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Gabriela Hearst’s autumn-winter 2020 line-up was beautiful. And it managed to be really sustainably made, without making a fuss about it. For Hearst, enviroinment is a priority. And she can translate that passion into luxurious, softly minimal, super high quality clothes. Antique remnants of Turkish rugs were puzzled together in outerwear pieces lined with cashmere. The hand-made knitwear was done by Manos Del Uruguay, the non-profit cooperative female artisans, and Magdalena Koluch, a New York-based knitter – the multi-colored, fringed poncho is one of the many gorgeous results that came from this collaboration. Existing pieces of cashmere outerwear were deconstructed and re-assembled with blanket stitch creating a fantastic colour block pattern. Most of the used wools in this collection were re-printed and reused to create new pieces. Gabriela and her team really pushed the envelope this season in terms of sustainable fashion and creating out of waste products, and simultaneously made it look refined. Just see the biscuity, cashmere corduroy tailoring or the flowing eveningwear. Delightful!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Daring and Sexy. Khaite AW20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Cate Holstein’s Khaite had a similar turn as the boys at Proenza Schouler. Her woman is much more daring than usual this season. While many know and love the label for its soft minimalism, occasionally beautified by tulle and pearls and toughened by suede cowboy details, this time Holstein let some danger in. The effects? Some of it is convicing, some got lost in the messy styling. The designer wanted to embrace the word „sexy”: dramatic cut-out backs of the evening dresses, leather and cheeth prints went with signature tulle, vintage-looking horse-rider motif came across the silks. Models wore chunky knitted scarves or bandanas. Girls just wanna have fun.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

A Good Shift. Proenza Schouler AW20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Something has shifted at Proenza Schouler. The last few seasons from Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough weren’t their best, lets be honest – they were plain and mild, and seemed to drown in the New York fashion week crowd. But their autumn-winter 2020 collection feels different. Delicate silhouettes got replaced by sharper cuts, and instead of draped forms we’ve got something much more geometric and bold. Also, the lenghts are shorter, the mood isn’t slouchy. The first look was a little black dress slipping off the shoulder, worn with ruched leather boots. Later looks followed the same pattern of „undone” style: jackets and knits peeled off of one shoulder, stretch leather dresses were cut with asymmetrical necklines, and a cold shoulder sweater exposed both clavicles. The closing looks were all about comforting volume. The designers’ starting point was a blanket. The duo gave their stylist Camilla Nickerson one for Christmas which she started wearing as a scarf, and inspiration was born. “She’s blanketed in a protective layer of strength and confidence,” Hernandez said backstage. McCollough put it another way: “It’s about finding beauty in a world that’s unraveling.”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Dutch Heritage. Sies Marjan AW20

| Design & Culture by Ed

This was one of the best collections coming from Sander Lak’s Sies Marjan to date. The designer is known for his incredible skills in colour combinations, and this time he nailed it with the earthy tones, gorgeous metallics and warm nude palette. The shoes – which were inspired by the traditional wooden, clogs from Netherlands – hinted that the designer might have thought of the masterful colours used by Dutch masters. And you can really see Vermeer, Ruisdael and Ter Borch in these mixes of browns, yellows and greens. Another factor that shaped the collection? Later this month, New York’s Guggenheim Museum will host Rem Koolhaas’s “Countryside: The Future” exhibition. The exhibit is a radical break from the fine art displays typically housed inside the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed rotunda. Instead of art, per se, it will exhibit scientific and cultural research collected by Koolhaas and his AMO team relating to the broad idea of the countryside and all its functions. Sies Marjan is one of the exhibition’s sponsors, and to mark the partnership between the brand, the museum, and Koolhaas, Lak themed his autumn-winter 2020 collection around ideas of the countryside. After a year-long deep-dive into the broadest notions of the theme, he went down material paths, collaborating with Cornell University on plant dyeing techniques that produced the floral patterns in the collection through hammering leaves directly onto fiber. A Dutch artist, Claudy Jongstra, lent her sustainable wool material made from sheeps’ sheddings to shaggy blue-green vests and blankets. A raffia-like material on a black top is actually made from plant roots engineered by artist Diana Scherer to grow in specific patterns. These natural textile developments lent a beautiful connection to the Earth within Lak’s collection. He continued this rawness in his produced fabrics by screen printing a gold film onto cotton twills and a mossy fil coupé. It’s rare to see a collection filled with so much thought – and looking this easy! In the end of the day, we’ve got some very genuine clothes for both women and men.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Modern Uniforms. Peter Do AW20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Peter Do is the “old Céline” guard, who developed his aesthetic and style under Phoebe Philo. Add a succesful Instagram performance and thoughtful visual communication, and it’s a label that immediately got on everybody’s lips. It’s Do’s second official season, and here’s what we’ve got: modern uniforms of exceptionally tailored pieces which are both functional and fashion-forward. The autumn-winter 2020 palette is a treat: gray, accented with rose, scarlet, and hunter green. The black, all-sequinned blazer and matching pleated skirt is a great alternative to eveningwear. The label also debuts with footwear, which is all about heavy, polished-leather boots with metallic elements. Some looks felt over-sophisticated, like the oddly sharp cuts of the jackets’ lapels, but when you put the clothes apart, those are some very, very good wardrobe essentials.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki.