When Starr Hout and Laura Cramer put Apiece Apart on hiatus a year and a half ago, they hit the brakes on a brand that was just picking up speed. The concept of Apiece Apart was that it was a modular wardrobe: Cramer and Hout made aggressively simple clothes—elegant, adaptable, and ageless—that were intended to be mixed and matched through seasons and years. Pretty much any woman could find something to love in the line, and in fact, their clothes may have been too universal for their own good. Now, with new backing in place, Cramer and Hout have returned with a collection that feels significantly more specific, while still maintaining the brand's original blank-canvas appeal.
On the whole, the silhouettes felt more youthful and the vibe more casual this time out. There was an emphasis on crop tops and halter dresses and skirts and trousers with a bit of slouch. The hint of volume even in simple tees gave the lineup a feeling of lightness; likewise, the touch of drape to fitted silhouettes, like high-waist pencil skirts, conveyed a sense of ease. As in previous seasons, the palette was winningly offbeat, an intuitive mix of whites and sand tones, buttercup yellow and a range of Indian pinks, plus forceful indigo blue that came off strongest in their Japanese stripes and block prints. The fabric mix was eclectic as well, moving between earthy burlaps and technical materials with a crisp yet relaxed hand. The clothes here still felt mutable—with very few exceptions, you could wear all these looks to the office, out to dinner with your boyfriend and your potential future in-laws, or to the Brooklyn Flea. There's something deeply "appropriate" about the Apiece Apart aesthetic, which goes to the brand ethos of creating clothes that just plain work. Cramer and Hout are those rare designers who mean it when they say they want women to wear their clothes, and not the other way around.
