There's sexy and there's sustainable, and never the twain shall meet. Or so it largely went, until Jaclyn Hodes launched Awaveawake back in 2012, her line of sensual, pared-back clothes. "Employing eco-friendly practices without sacrificing style was the primary goal," Hodes said of the initial concept, "not just sustainable for sustainability's sake." The designer goes so far as to say she enjoys the limitations of her brand's chosen path, and the result is a sumptuous, sophisticated lineup of pieces made from ethically sourced materials (colored using plant-based dyes). Even the soft patina on Hodes' impossibly buttery silks comes from the dye process, rather than traditional and toxic sand-washing.
Fall found Hodes looking at her signature styles—tie-neck blouses; bias-cut, floor-skimming slipdresses—through the lens of Rajasthan, India, with cropped long-sleeve tops that nodded to cholis worn as part of a sari, or a beautifully spare tunic dress inspired by the traditional men's kurta. The designer cut her teeth in styling, so these clothes lent themselves to versatility. To wit: There was nary a print in sight—though with a rich palette of Jaipur pink, ocher, cranberry, cream, and black, they were hardly missed. You could pair one of those slinky, lingerie-louche slipdresses or backless gowns with a cowl-neck pullover for day, or with a charmeuse cape for something black-tie-ready. Awaveawake's styles have traces of a '70s ethereality (Inherent Vice's bohemian bombshell Katherine Waterston stars in the brand's Video Fashion Week short for Style.com) that lend them a want-it-now quality, without verging on the retro; here a little of the sensibilities of Madame Grès and Madeleine Vionnet translated to something timeless and easy. The long and short of it? A lot of cool women from a lot of walks of life are going to fall hard for these pieces.
