Karoline Vitto is back on the runway. But she didn’t want to return with a bang, as such. “This collection explores the idea of coming back after you’ve been in hibernation for a while, like defrosting,” she said at a preview, an hour before around 70 women would pass through for the casting.
The selection of models looked considerably different from the usual go-see. The industry has been frozen in a state of sample-size (and below) casting. Glacially receding, in fact. But designers like Vitto skew the stats toward something more promising, and beyond the numbers there is real change. “I wanted to be like, ‘Hey, we’re still here, we’re still doing things.’ It might be a bit more difficult for everyone right now, but we’re doing everything our own way and really still championing our community,” said Vitto.
Inclusivity has never been a token for Vitto; it’s always been inherent to her craft. Paying close attention once again to the fit of her clothes, she cleverly utilized the casting process: While being exposed to so many bodies, she altered and graded pieces as she went. “It was about trying to figure out what I could get out of a show for the longevity of the brand,” she said.
“I feel like more of a pattern cutter than a designer,” she added—a sentiment that came through for fall. There was a clear focus on shape with deadstock jerseys, thick and thin, draped every which way, landing on the body fitted but not too tight. These techniques felt like an evolution of the “boom-boom-sexy” dresses that have become her calling card: Silhouettes were driven by fabric folds, sinks, and pinches, rather than her signature body-flossing metal details. (Curvaceous hardware still featured subtly, snaking around waists and placed on hips.) The printed and sheened denim, and the handful of menswear looks Vitto was curious to ponder this season, were part of a collaboration with Pull Bear, for which she prioritized extended sizing. “That was so important to me,” she said, noting that “everything is possible” within her small setup, but working on a larger scale brought with it limitations—and learning.
The pared-back mood was intentionally evocative of the ’90s. Though Vitto was sure to portray a landscape that wasn’t all slim focused and sample size. “I imagined they were waiting for the perfect time to come out,” she said, “they” being the band of Karoline Vitto women she envisioned to be on standby during the era. And there has never been a better time to emerge.
