Last season, Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell hosted a prom-themed presentation in the West Village. Fun as it was, the affair was a busy one—maybe too busy—so this time around the pair opted for a night in instead. Rather than a presentation, they made a digital lookbook, and instead of a night out, their theme was a slumber party.
“I think this season we discovered that people are really becoming so immersed in the world we’re creating, and we just want to create good vibes,” the pair said during a showroom appointment. And so, for this season’s lookbook, the vibes in question were captured at an apartment in Bed-Stuy that has been untouched since the 1950s, which the duo found online. It may very well be anxiety over the headlines in the economic section of papers, or the overarching feeling of exhaustion after the intensity of the September shows, but many designers this season are opting to stay off the runways and offer lookbooks and digital activations instead. Either way, there’s more to fashion than a show, and Richie and Kassell built a world that translated well through their carefully curated images.
The duo finds inspiration in all things retro, and this season they doubled down on this approach with a collection instilled with a mixed bag of reimagined anachronisms: Art Nouveau-like rose prints decorated dresses and button downs, ’70s tuxedo ruffles were applied onto lapels and side seams of velvet tailoring, Victorian ruffles and animal embroideries decorated knitwear separates and dresses, and ’90s mini skirts and silky slips provided a hint of sexiness Richie and Kasell had not committed to until now. The pair also introduced a range of core items: Cotton tank tops, tees, and boxers with a velvet bow as branding. “It feels like the bow has become our signature, so why not just go there,” they said.
“We tried to make this collection a lot cooler than in the past,” Richie said, as Kasell added that it’s “definitely more grunge, and a little less retro.” Mission accomplished. Fall had a slightly more grown up sensibility. Sexier, sure, with sheer tops, flattering vests, mini skirts, and leather outerwear, but also more contemporary, and more aligned to what the designers’ friends and cohort are wearing. The Gen-Z/Millennial cusp is big on thrifting and hodgepodge styling, and this is a spirit the duo captured well without losing their signature humor—peep the slogan tees and sweaters, and if you don’t get it, well, bless your heart.
For all the latest fasion News Click Here
