“Originally we started with the idea of the Age of Aquarius,” explained DVF’s creative director Nathan Jenden in the brand’s Meatpacking District studio. “Sort of a little dreamy and upbeat and happy, but obviously the generation that went out and fought in the streets to change things.” There was indeed a youthful and bohemian energy present in the slightly-off color palette like mint greens and reddish browns or magenta and burgundy. It was also there in the prints brought back from the archive, like the geological-esque tie dye print (most excellently shown in a loose oversized knit sweater paired with wide leg pants with a mismatching-but-matching floral print), and long sleeve maxi dress and the trench coat in a fabulous “leopard fawn” pattern. A series of striped lurex knitted dresses and polo shirts also looked especially alluring.
“Everyone’s definitely wearing clothes in an interesting new way, which is kind of exciting,” Jenden observed. “It’s a different take on getting dressed-up and being fashionable.” He held up a simple tank dress with a ribbed cotton bodice top and a chiffon skirt as he spoke; nearby a ballet-style wrap cardigan hung on the rack. It would be easy to imagine a downtown NYC It-girl wearing it with scuffed-up cowboy boots, just as much as it could live on the streets of the Upper East Side paired with simple Havaiana flip flops.
Ease is a driving force behind everything Jenden does at DVF. Its founder often spoke about her clothes as things that “made no noise, because there’s no zippers and no fasteners,” he said. “You don’t need someone else to help you button up a dress.” The pieces this season did shine with a special kind of versatility, appealing to a wide range of styles and for a wide range of occasions. Though “wardrobe building blocks” have been a hot talking point with designers in the past few seasons, at DVF the versatility was real because it’s an essential part of the design process. Jenden added, “Everything has a reason to be.”
