Plump four-section bags that resembled conjoined scatter cushions. Square-quilted leather skirts that seemed a little ’80s sofa. Different skirts in large fringed sections of disc-cut crepe that jittered on their models like a just-walked-through ’70s beaded door curtain. Maybe it was lockdown cabin fever, but this collection of exterior design looked sometimes related to interior design.
On a Zoom from Moscow where record snowfall and waves of fiercely policed anti-Kremlin protests have added an extra chill to pandemic winter Natalia Alaverdian conceded that being cushioned from reality’s harsher aspects was one part of her thinking. This led to the development of her first jersey collection (organic, made in Portugal, nice cut-shoulder T-shirts and Breton-stripe tops) and her first sneaker sole (sculpted in clay as a prototype, then made in Italy). That sneaker sole will get an upper next season but for now was presented as a sportif mash-up of the fringe-toe sandals elsewhe
Cool pants and cozy sweaters are the building blocks of Apiece Apart’s fall collection. That might sound simple, and maybe even a little boring, but Starr Hout and Laura Cramer’s gestural silhouettes, rich colors, and luxe fabrics most of them organic lend a statement quality to those basics. Their most forward-thinking development is a curvy barrel-leg trouser, styled in various soothing, monochromatic looks: one in head-to-toe ivory, another in a more distinctive cobalt.
The brand’s signature tight, high-rise Merida trousers are still top sellers, but those of us who are still working from home at makeshift desks (and in strange, contorted positions) are likely craving an easier, almost mannish fit. A pair of baggy pleated khakis looked compelling too, though Hout and Cramer were most excited about an ankle-length drop-crotch style. They fit more like joggers than “real pants,” and it’s easy to see women gravitating towards that slouchy-yet-refined balance in the month