Woman

The Law of Batsheva. Batsheva SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Within just a couple of seasons, a Batsheva dress became a classic in New York. No wonder why: her signature prairie dresses, often made out of vintage textiles, are comfortable, flattering and the wearer never really has to think how to wear it: they work with everything. Batshave Hay‘s spring-summer 2020 show at the New York Law School (fun fact: before starting her label at home, Batsheva was a lawyer) was an actual lecture. Jamieson Webster (a psychoanalyst), Chiara Bottici (a philosopher) and Melissa Ragona (an art historian and theorist), three academics in three diverse fields, engaged critically with Batsheva’s newest collection, while models walked through a lecture hall. Writer and podcaster Aminatou Sow introduced and moderated the panel. “They make me feel like a pioneer woman who can’t be fucked with,” Sow said of Batsheva’s garments. The lecture was called “Neck, Wrist, and Ankle: Recurrence in Batsheva’s Clothing” and each speaker presented her essay accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation of pertinent details and helpful quotes. Hay’s panel of critics laid out lots of excellent points, including a description of her clothing as “defense of the tender areas of the body”. Fashion being intellectual is a rare, but great sight. Especially, when the clothes keep up with the theory. The prairie dress was present in the line-up for a few times, in tiny florals, polka-dots and print patchwork, but there were also some new additions: blazers with big, Victorian shoulders (speaking of the Victorian topic, the ‘Victorian Secret’ pun on the finale dress was brilliant, by the way), a ruffled day dress in a red zebra pattern and gorgeous shoes made in collaboration with Brother Vellies.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Old Classics. Proenza Schouler SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

While a less sophisticated collection from Eckhaus Latta feels right once in a while, Proenza Schouler’s new season offering again misses something that used to make the label so in-demand. Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough are very good at tailoring, and even better at cutting a fluid-y, silk dress (the printed one worn by Adut Akech is the biggest highlight of the collection). But in the sea of great blazers and dresses we’ve seen last season and again this season in New York, this doesn’t make Proenza stand out. It seems to me that the Proenza Schouler identity is gradually getting blurrier and less distinctive. Not that the spring-summer 2020 collection is bad: it has lots of classics, like an over-sized coat or an XXL shoulder bag. However, those clothes don’t spark any feelings in me. Where’s the bolder, art-ier Proenza Schouler? Hope it will come back soon.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Time for Ease. Tom Ford SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

Tom Ford took his guests to the least Tom Ford place ever: the subway, specifically the disused platform of the Bowery stop. Ford’s press notes mentioned the famous shot of Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick emerging out of a manhole cover. The subway also clicks with his recent interest in simplicity. “I think that it’s a time for ease,” he wrote, “and in that way a return to the kind of luxurious sportswear that America has become known for all over the world.” Indeed, there was lots of luxurious sportswear, but properly slick and rich: a jersey t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up worn with a maxi, duchesse satin skirt; sharp satin blazers styled with nylon basketball shorts (shorts – a topic Ford hates, but confronts in the most sublime way). The final looks feautured molded plastic tops that were a homage to Yves Saint Laurent’s Lalanne breastplates. Ford kept them in Jeff Koons’ balloon dogs colours and in result they perfectly fitted the matching flowing maxi skirts models wore. Was this Ford’s best collection? Definitely not. But it proved once again that the designer thrives in making his sexy, never-lazy aesthetical language relevant and powerful.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Expensive Simplicity. The Row SS20

| Design & Culture by Ed

There’s no need in explaining why The Row is one of New York’s most luxurious brands – existing and thriving. And also, once seeing a The Row shirt in rwal life, you immediately understand its cosmic price. It’s crisp, but not stiff, it’s over-sized, but not slouchy. Even it’s white colour isn’t just white. It’s the shade of white that will match everything. Knowing that, you can forgive Ashley and Mary Kate-Olsen‘s lack of Instagrammable entertainment during their spring-summer 2020 fashion show. A minimal space, and the clothes as the main heros. The look feauturing a lilac shirt and beige pants caused more discussions than the most intricately embroidered dress or the most controversial fashion statement from any other brand we’ve seen this season. While some might say this collection felt distant and lacked spirit, I think its minimalism was finally soft – something I kind of missed from the Olsens in their last collections. This is the collection Carolyn Bessette Kennedy would wear forever. It’s a wardrobe of investment pieces – which, to a great extent is sustainable fashion without being mad about. Whether speaking of the ecru dress made out of cloudy, silk patches, or the ankle-lenght black coat that has the perfectly chic shoulders volume, The Row nails expensive simplicity like no other.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

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.