“It’s about simplifying the process,” said Marie Adam-Leenaerdt about the inspiration behind her fall collection, for which the notion of do-it-yourself was the driving force, synonymous with embracing imperfection and turning it into attention to detail.
That extended to the seating at her venue, with guests invited to help themselves to a branded plastic folding stool and sit where they liked inside the venue.
The Belgian designer took the DIY ethos to town in a collection that aesthetically may have looked haphazardly cobbled together, but in reality was anything but, with each stitch exactly where it was intended and jarring pattern details intentionally offset.
Past collections and fabrics were upcycled into new pieces, like colorful patchwork skirts and girly dresses in clashing floral prints, or cotton wrap skirts featuring pattern and print details and cutting instructions. This tied in with the designer’s belief in offering multipurpose fashion designed to bypass seasonal sensibilities.
Silhouettes were given exaggerated proportions and vivid color, stark black or polka dots, as with boxy shift dresses worn wide at the shoulders then draped and tied at the neck, with the aim of shifting shapes ever so slightly, without affecting their simplicity. There was even what looked like a little girl’s princess dress in the mix, and knitted loungewear with visible mending details that looked well-loved indeed.
Knitted puffer jackets, in red or silver, were so thick they had no need for stuffing, and many of the designs were reversible. A fake fur coat, to wit, had a vivid pink satin lining and tailored collar…or was it a pink satin tailored coat with a fluffy interior? Two-for-the-price-of-one, in fact. Ditto a dress made with coat-lining fabric that also worked as outerwear in reverse.