Sprung from the Garden

I looked to my spring garden, not only as a source of solace and nourishment, both physical and aesthetic, but to realize one of my most flowing collections to date. This fluidity, this ability to adapt, is Nature's greatest strength, and, by extension, so it is ours.  In the garden, we find the intersection of beauty and labor - the gardener's work contained within the blooming rose; the painter's focus, capturing the observed, transposed onto canvas. 

This union of contrasts - utilitarian with graceful, practical and beautiful, comfortable and glamorous - runs through the collection: A floor length crepe dress topped with the Painter's Coat; an iridescent jade dupioni skirt paired with a simple crew neck silk top. Fluid and romantic, the collection channels the relaxed glamour of the artist's garden. It attracts the eye, invites it to linger, without being showy or calling for attention.

In this series, I've accentuated the inherent flow of my designs, attenuating them to greater physical lengths: the signature hand pleated Wrap Skirt extends to floor length; it also blossoms into a full blown dress - a ravishing piece both simple and elegant. 

It felt joyful to set free the movement of even more generous swaths of pure silk. The floor length proportions relay immediate glamour. The cascading fabric becomes an extension of the person, allowing for more expression, for movement with greater continuity. A dynamic emerges, like a ripple in ocean water - from within to without, and back again. A graceful mind, a graceful movement, in a continuous loop. Simple, zero-waste tailoring activates into billows and swirls when worn; energized by the present moment, the fabric and body create ephemeral forms. In a sense, I've created an environment, cultivated a terrain, from which one of a kind expressions emerge and grow, with endless variation. 

A sense of Nature's bounty pervades here - silks in double layers, reversible designs; optically scintillating patterns and fresh colors, delighting the eye. The new X Blouse crosses fabric to create a bold shape that feels both timeless and modern, swaddling and liberating. 

A sense of silence and stillness holds ground in the collection with some utterly direct Crew Neck tops and dresses in silk. In contrast to the dramatic flow and motion of the unbridled silk elsewhere in the collection, the Crew Necks speak softly yet have the strength that comes from being true, pure, and irreducible. 

Nature generates tirelessly - a notion captured by the hand-stitching of each piece, each a manifestation of the sewer's energy. This very personal collection incorporates silks that I have gathered over time - some are vintage silk prints from my mother's archive, others from travels to Italy. These limited edition floral fabrics have finally found the right environment to bloom, resulting in unique pieces that are not only handmade, but derived from materials I've collected along the path of my life.

There is a heightened femininity in Series No. 21, an awareness that a strong core allows for a soft, gentle exterior. This collection places the individual within Nature's flow, empowering the wearer with the ease and confidence of being comfortable, yet absolutely beautiful.