Yesterday, what felt like every fashion editor on earth was shuttled from appointment to appointment—mercifully, many in Milk Studios, site of Acne's mini-presentation—with what felt like every fashion brand on earth. It's been grumbled before, but more than ever it felt that Resort, formerly a commercial collection paraded past buyers only, has become a full-fledged fashion season. Time to breathe? Don't count on it.
So when Acne's Jonny Johansson said that he was thinking of the herky-jerky pace of Madonna's "Ray of Light" video when designing his new collection, you knew what he meant. He was tapping the pace and the frenetic energy of street style and its newly minted style stars. "These girls are the ones going really fast," he said backstage before the presentation. Naturally—everything can change in the space of a shutter click.
Light was right for this collection. White was seen on treated cottons, cupro, and silk, like the silk "jean jacket" with pick stitches, as if its wearer had altered it herself. (Not unheard of among the street-style set.) There were loose, easygoing bermuda shorts and gym shorts in silk. Oversized blazers had a throw-and-go usefulness, though their floaty, money-print pattern seemed a little too jokey even for the peacocks. Even without that, there were plenty of pieces that should have legs. A dip-dyed slouchy caftan had both surprise and chic on its side, for instance. Meanwhile, a white leather jacket—even in the warm months, Acne will never go without leather—had the brand's name crawling up its sleeve. If Acne is entering logomania, it felt right that it would do so a bit askew. The street-style girl, Johansson said, is "using herself as a medium." Now he's using her, too.
