Tess Giberson may be one of New York s brainiest designers. This season, she dubbed her collection Shift and chose to explore the word s many meanings. The results included skirts made from doubled-over shirts, a superfluous armhole decorating the upper thigh; jersey tank dresses with twinned necklines so it looked as if they were two pieces, not one; and an asymmetric shirtdress that was looser and longer on one side than on the other. It may sound overthought—the kind of thing that happens a lot at design school—but she pulled it off with finesse, smartly marrying the quirkier pieces with straight-up tailored jackets and vests and skinny leather pants that will be easy sells at the specialty boutiques that stock the label.
One piece that wasn t for sale, but perhaps should ve been, was an enormous yet delicate beaded chain fishing net Giberson made in collaboration with the artist Carol Bove. Shrink it down a few feet and it would make a dramatic shawl, the kind of thing that her cerebral, arty fans might like to wear to a gallery opening or museum gala.
