Arriving from the snow to Gabriela Hearst's exhibition space at the Agger Fish Building in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning, the fashion crowd was greeted by a fabulous table of surreal-looking food, including “butter fish” (from a fish-shaped mold) with radishes. for dipping, a mix of ribbons made with Oaxacan cheese and cupcake “trees.”
It turns out that Hearst had surrealism on his mind, specifically the surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, his female heroine of the moment. One of Carrington's most famous works was a 1939 portrait of her lover Max Ernst wearing a furry pink feather robe, mermaid tail, and striped silk stockings. Ha!
That image was an inspiration for the men's fall 2024 collection presented last month, and the threads literally carried over into the richly textured elegance of the women's line with its fabulous shearling and cashmere blend coats, wool “skins.” cashmere (a scarlet red one with a fringe dress and matching scarf) and V-neck wool and cashmere teddy-type dresses.
It also launched a new bag, called the Carrington, with a sleek box shape and a variety of lush shades, including oxblood. Velvet boots in scarlet tones and metallic leather ballerinas further underlined that the “touch of red” trend is not going anywhere.
In a season when leather clothing is everywhere on the runways, Hearst's seemed richer: A nappa coat was hand-pleated to create texture, for example, and supple suede slippers were as supple as silk.
Always with comfort in mind even in more formal wear, Hearst incorporated lace-paneled merino knit waistbands into satin double slips, and made her signature swirl lace in paisley into comfortable shirts and flared pants. “Good luck trying to do this,” he said of the specialized level of the craft.
Mixing materials in hybrid pieces is also becoming a strong point for the brand, as in an elegant black cashmere and ivory shearling knit coat with corset back detail, and a sculpted silk shearling dress. bias and modernist gold metallic nappa leather. Think of it as organic engineering.
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