Late 1980s Berlin was the aesthetic starting point for AW23. A landscape shaped by the celebration of entering a brand new world – a style formula fuelled by the energy of rebellion and secret hedonism.
WOMEN'S AW23 COLLECTION - HEDONISTIC REGIME
Focus points became the 1987 Wim Wenders film, Wings of Desire. Subcultural everyday outerwear referencing the elongated long-line coats during the Nick Cave club scene. Along with the striped shirts of Peter Falk’s character and general low-glow of the smoky underground backdrop. It’s a collection of contrast, a carefully layered grunge aesthetic: part borrowed and oversized, part polished and skimming the skin.
Key looks include elegantly cut slip dresses that follow 1990s slender proportions, with a subtle flash of bare shoulder or décolletage contrasting with big, heavy coats. Calf length skirts and dresses flatter the body, thanks to clever origami folds and complex (but understated) pattern cutting. The overarching theme feels youthful and modern, subverting the classics with playful tailored layers and intelligent fabrics that radiate modernity.
High-break jackets are a new silhouette for this collection, with shirts staying long and lean, worn over fine gauge dry cotton turtlenecks. 90s Army & Navy surplus store finds are reflected in the sportswear-inspired khaki and black nylon pieces – ideal for changeable city living temperatures.
Worsted wools, shiny twills and supersoft and spongy boiled wool knits slide into force later in the season. Textures aside, the colour palette is purposefully monochrome, spliced with military greens and Air Force blues. There are fresh hue pops with the introduction of Apple and the shift towards Waterlily – a novel take for the whiter side of the modular wardrobe.
LEANNE CLOUDSDALE IS THE STUDIO NICHOLSON EDITOR-AT-LARGE
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