I had hoped to be more timely about my updates from Stockholm Fashion Week, but seeing as I'm on vacation, I've found my spare time filled with drinking way too much, way too late in the night. Also I've been eating lots of korv (sausage to non-Swedish speakers). SFW is over now, and while there are many more photos to come when I have better editing tools at hand, I couldn't wait to share one of my completely unedited photos from one of my favorite shows of the week, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair.
The line was one of the first Swedish labels that I fell in love with. However, since the company was founded, plenty of their signature draping styles, unconventional patterns, and asymmetrical cuts have trickled down through mainstream and mass market retailers like All Saints, and the items that were once so eye-opening are looking increasingly common and conventional. While the new collection contains many draping jersey pieces, the show concentrated on the handcrafted V AVE SHOE REPAIR ATELIER garments that fully explore the strong silhouettes and sculptural shapes that the designers are most interested in, using more complex materials and techniques which mega-chain stores will not be able to knock-off. Inspired by Hermann Rorschach (perhaps a theme of this season?), the designers created three dimensional interpretations of the artist's famous ink-blots, using transparent net fabrics to create giant ink blots that encircle the body. The soft forms were juxtaposed against handcarved wood accessories that sat on the shoulders and hips, giving some weight to pieces that looked like they might otherwise float away. It is nice to be reminded that in world where design is looking increasingly the same, some people still manage to excite.
-Tiffany