Monsieur Christian Dior advocated for small pockets. It’s an edict that designer Ashlynn Park has followed—until now. Having chosen travel as the organizing principle of her resort collection, Park said she “purposely added pockets as a detail.” But these were no normal pockets. She instead made delicious little drawstring pouches with hidden back compartments, adding … Read more
“We call resort winter,” says Stuart Vevers, who is standing in the middle of the Coach showroom one sunny June morning the other day, “because that’s when it appears, around the holidays. Our belief is that our client is living in the real world: She’s not at a resort, she’s not on a cruise. She’s … Read more
“When I walk into a room, I don’t want my clothes to scream, but at the same time, I don’t want to wear anything that comprises who I am.” Stella McCartney was describing the ‘delicate’ balancing act of designing as a woman, for women. It’s a subject which is rightly coming under renewed scrutiny, mainly … Read more
With her resort 2025 collection, Sarah Staudinger has fine-tuned the balance between her minimal and quirky tendencies. The designer, who was once known for bold prints, all-over beaded pieces, and colorful bags, has recently been exploring a quieter, more understated approach full of muted neutrals and soft pastels. Now, it seems the fun is slowly … Read more
Huishan Zhang loves a glamorous muse almost as much as he loves a good story. In Song Huai-Kuei—the late Chinese artist and socialite who was better known as Madame Song, a pivotal figure who introduced Pierre Cardin to China and brought European designers into the wardrobes of Chinese women when such a thing was unheard … Read more
“This is all live. I’m scared stiff!” So said Paul Smith as he presented his mainline collection at Pitti Uomo for the first time in 31 years this afternoon. We were in the golden renaissance-revival splendor of Villa Favard, part of the Polimoda fashion school. Smith presented the collection in a semi-trunk show, semi-lecture format. … Read more
Fashion brands today work according to their own clockwork, as the concept of “seasonal” has been reduced to an elusive notion. This pre-fall bridges elements from Jil Sander’s spring and fall collections, yet following the laws of retail, it hits shop floors now, coinciding with this review. If you’d compare this timeline, say, with Netflix, … Read more
Alessandro Dell’Acqua went for a full-on celebration of dichotomy for resort. He has always touched on contrasts; playing the bourgeois against the rebellious, the proper opposing the louche, and the bon ton tinged with the slightly trashy has been a consistent knack of his throughout his career. This makes sense if you think of his … Read more
“The vibe is a little bit business—I’m really trying to be very practical.” Batsheva Hay wasted no time getting to the point of her resort collection. We were looking at a handsome, heavy black denim skirt suit that was typical Batsheva: a vintage-inspired batwing jacket with four small buttons and a tie at the waist, … Read more
Evolving within self-set limits is the name of the game at BITE Studios. The new resort collection shows that headway is being made on the materials front. Co-founder William Lundgren reported that 99% of the textiles used for this collection are organic or certified, thus living up to the promise of the brand name, BITE … Read more
