What Amy Smilovic may lack in firsthand experience with the gauchos, her Pre-Fall Tibi offering more than made up for in earthy richness. Smilovic s yen for Argentine cowboy style yielded an embarrassment of textural riches, tempered by the pared-back polish that s cemented Tibi as a mainstay for industry types over the years. Big swathes of fabric came knotted and tied across crisp tops; heavy folds lent depth to skirts and a pair of wrap-front trousers in supple lambskin. A palette of oxblood, dusty rose, and sky blue felt undeniably dynamic, too. Literal nods to the designer s chosen inspiration were relatively few: felted blanket fabrics, ponchos, some quietly traditional-looking embroidery. But Smilovic is cosmopolitan to her core, so the ponchos came in a double-faced cashmere wool, another with a sharply asymmetrical hemline. Both those fabrications served as a reminder of the brand s unique ground in an oversaturated contemporary market.
