Natasa Cagalj, the Central Saint Martins graduate with a first-rate résumé and recently appointed creative director of Ports 1961, went artisanal for the label's Resort collection. "I tried to convey a sense of spontaneity," Cagalj said. "I wanted to celebrate the haphazard beauty of the design process, embracing its trials and errors, all those bumps in the road that sometimes make for unpredictable yet creative results."
To make her point, she showed a series of pieces made entirely from color swatches morphed into fringed, thickly woven fabrics. Vaguely referencing some exotic agricultural workwear, they were quite charming, especially in a textured tube midi skirt paired with a menswear-inspired white shirt in crisp poplin. The utility factor was apparent in sculptural tops, dusters, and asymmetrical tulip skirts made from calico, a substantial type of cotton used for toile prototypes. To soften the rigorous edge of the collection, more feminine touches were added here and there, as in geometric trimmings in primary colors lining the hems of square-cut tops. A knotted fringe detail decorated the plastron of a pale blue cotton voile shirt or the pockets of an indigo shirt-parka hybrid, as well as those of a masculine dark blue blazer. The motif looked like some kind of self-growing, organic texture; it could've been a bizarre flower sprouting from the garment itself.
