Kaelen s Spring forecast is looking flirty. Spurred by an image of a tropical bloom, designer Kaelen Haworth turned out an offering that felt girlish (or, perhaps, womanish) without sacrificing a bit of sophistication. The tension between masculine and feminine has long been a Kaelen preoccupation, and while she maintained many of her chicly boxy shapes for Spring, there was a newfound sex appeal to them. It spoke to a sense of languidness that came through in dramatic cowl-back dresses; a particularly ethereal, iridescent chiffon; and oversize flounces (another recurring accent in Haworth s collections).
Steamy climes got a nod in the form of an emerald macro-botanical print, brazen by the label s usual standards. Elsewhere, Resort s ultra-fluid laser-cut neoprene was brought back in a floral pattern, but thanks to bonding techniques it maintained a bit of the techy "weirdness" (read: stiffness, volume, and uncanny hand-feel) of which Haworth is an avowed fan. Then there were easy blush-colored jumpsuits and separates, and some utterly cool pieces in both white linen and a textured, carpet-y blend trimmed with long, swingy fringe that zipped on and off. The latter proved to be standouts of the collection and were one of Haworth s most successful experiments with convertibility to date.
Each look here had a sense of lightness and ease, which resonated particularly well on a scorching September afternoon, and also made apparent the label s growth over the past few seasons. It s worth noting that this is Haworth s first full offering since she joined the third class of the CFDA s Incubator development program. One can happily look forward to what she ll be sending out come Fall.
