"I ve kind of developed this theory that all designers are obsessed with their late-teenage years. You re always emotionally connected to that time when you re really developing your identity and everything feels so real," said Yara Flinn at a preview of her new Nomia collection. For Flinn, that formative era was the late 90s. After cycling through something of a sporty, hip-hop phase, followed by a fixation with X-Girl-inspired grunge, this season found the designer channeling the decade s raver culture—in her own restrained way, of course. The modern club-kid vibe came through with such pieces as overall maxi dresses, mandarin-collar tunics, and baggy pink painter s pants. What set Flinn s lineup apart were unexpected details, such as the utilitarian carabiner clips found on tailored linen vests and the random slash on one side of a crinkled T-shirt dress. "I think it s so sexy to show a tiny, weird piece of thigh for no reason," she explained. To accompany the collection, Flinn created a cool narrative film (involving a fictional party planner and frosted lipstick), appropriately shot at Max Fish, the recently reopened dive bar that is nothing short of a Lower East Side institution. "I ve been going there for what seems like a million years, so the setting felt authentic and awesome," Flinn said. One thing s for sure: It doesn t get more 90s redux than Max Fish.
