Growing up, Jonathan Cohen found his safe space at concerts. During a preview of his fall collection, the designer recalled getting tickets to Lauryn Hill's “The Miseducation” tour for her bar mitzvah; seeing Tina Turner with her mother; attending Destiny's Child (with its four original members), and recently saw Beyoncé and Madonna. These memories served as seasonal inspiration: the lights of the concerts.
Their collection, organized presentation-style inside the moody Maxwell Social with Blank Street coffee and pastries to start the morning, began with the familiar “pitch black” hue that kicks off the show. For example, a silk wool jacket with fine handmade gold thread details and peplum on the back or a beautiful satin opera coat and long dress (and later, a strong structured bodice with tailored pants, puddle ), all of which incorporated the return of his well-known tie details with a “more mature hand” (and a nod to the vibrant cut-out works of artist Lucia Fontana), he said. The same goes for the white prototype versions and the dark blue denim capes.
The idea of concert lights played heavily in his fabrications and seasonal abstract motifs. A throwback to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' performance at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards inspired his colorful, warped concert light print (composed of layered photographs Cohen took of live or streamed shows), as seen in a pretty pleated dress and a standout trench coat. Plus, a psychedelic, multicolored poppy print (which also gave a nod to the vibrant works of artist Dale Chihuly), while a strong array of feminine multicolored tweed capes emulated the static of television. Cohen said these latest special styles will be produced in limited quantities, as the Japanese fabric takes three months to weave 15 meters.
Additionally, a gold knit wrap dress and transitional knits emphasized the monochrome dress, while embroidered styles showcased her brand's signature waste fabric circularity, like the strapless yellow Fontana cocktail dress.
“Because we have been reworking our textiles for so long, we have almost run out of scraps. Now we're at this level where we have to rework everything to make it super circular, which is great and was our goal. Now, everything we create, we reuse within the collection,” he said, emphasizing his achievement of elevating “deconstructed” elements in a very polished way.
Cohen's looks were completed with matching boots and mules from her second collaboration with Larroudé. Shoe styles are available for pre-order.
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