After leading us through three seasons of camping adventures, Natasha Zinko transported the fashion brat pack to outer space for fall. Drawing inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, where space travel was depicted as a mundane everyday activity—“like buying a train ticket,” said Zinko—the collection explored themes of life where space attire is essential. She explained her thinking in a preview, saying: “It’s about the human desire to expand and explore, where the extraordinary becomes the ordinary.”
The creative vision, rooted in futurism, channeled a ’60s mod-inspired aesthetic, reflecting the era of the space race (which was also the name of the collection) between the Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union. Space suits were reimagined into everyday wear, featuring a spectrum of whites: structured jackets with capacious sleeves and baggy pants with strips of padded fabric, crafted from bonded neoprene and gabardine. This recurring cocoon-like silhouette, said Zinko, was a tribute to Pierre Cardin’s 1960s Space Age–themed designs.
In continuation of the space-age mood, Zinko presented bodysuits that ranged from slouchy to formfitting in hues like bone, eggshell, and off-white, reminiscent of undergarments. Zip-up white and Pepto-pink dresses in mini and midi lengths offered a contemporary take on 1960s air hostess uniforms. Vintage cargo pants were transformed into souped-up baggy trousers paired with matching jackets that draped at the front. While it was refreshing to see Zinko explore new thematic terrain, a little more nuance on the mood board would take her to the destination she so desires.
