Nanushka designer Sandra Sandor named her second menswear collection and first Paris presentation Come As You Are, but lest this instantly lead you to the Nirvana classic, she was tapping into a state of mind. “When your intention is not so much to impress with your dressing, but much more about daring to express your style,” she explained. Sandor elaborated that vacations are most conducive to this, as you’re usually less preoccupied with how others perceive you.
And so, from a school courtyard that evoked a private oasis in Rome, male models (and a few girls, too) looked to be on a holiday that might have taken place in the 1950s, only on closer inspection, their outfits were all updated and very much urban in attitude. The main giveaway: her recalibrated volumes—jackets were slouchier and sportier, shorts signaled city rather than beach, and the styling felt pleasingly off-the-cuff. Beyond this, batik and woodblock digital prints had a convincing handmade touch and brought liveliness to certain looks that otherwise leaned too beige. “Bohemian minimalist,” was how the Budapest-based designer put it.
Sandor has been sustainability minded since the beginning, and her application of vegan leather to tailoring was a justified point of pride. Given the finesse of the pants, shirt, and windbreaker-style jacket—in feel and in fit—she could push even further into the category and make it a real signature. The jacket in crocheted leather, for now just a prototype, would suggest she’ll have more to show off next season, whether or not she returns to Paris.
