Following Ostwald Helgason s much-noted runway debut in February, design duo Susanne Ostwald and Ingvar Helgason offered up an energetic Resort collection, both in terms of color and a penchant for sporty fabrics—here, as elsewhere, mesh was a major statement for the season.
The German-born Ostwald has a background in fine art, something that comes through in deft color-blocking and bright tropical critters like an orange-and-blue toucan on a gray sweatshirt. In a more subdued vein, the designers made a compelling case for abstract geometric landscapes, whether on shifts or as knits. They re also busily exploring new fabric treatments and combinations. One example: a skirt made of heat-pressed, woven blue raffia that was worked into honeycombed and lacy patterns, bonded with technical fabric and layered over black linen cotton. Speaking of technical fabrics, sporty-smart outerwear was a welcome carryover from the label s Fall collection. But overall, Ostwald and Helgason seem to have found a sweet spot with playful, mix-and-match daywear in simple shapes that let the pattern and fabrications do the talking. Yes, the clothes are so loaded with detail it s hard to list them all here, but at least they re not fussy: One could just as easily give one of these feminine skirts the uptown treatment as take it downtown with the russet-and-turquoise monkey sweatshirt and sneakers.
