Damir Doma was so attached to last Spring’s credo (care of the Talking Heads), “Never for money, always for love,” that it made an encore for Fall; only this time, the money part was noticeably absent. Doma wasn’t dismissing its importance—no fashion business can—so much as giving greater significance to always for love. “People have lost that, and maybe for a while I lost that, too; and so I decided to implement it as a motto, not only in the collection but in the company,” he said, before broadening his theme: “I think it’s an honest and idealistic—almost anarchic—way of living. But this is what life should be about.”
When the designer noted how the women’s and men’s looks have moved even closer toward each other this season, he was referring to the repetition of two-tone knits embellished with velvet thread, or the his-and-hers buffalo-hide pants; but metaphorically, this was proof of his objective. The combined collection used wraparound shapes, ethnic accents, and materials that hinted at time’s onward march to evoke a sweeping depiction of reason and emotion. The former took the lead via studied tailoring that gathered, tied, and twisted; the latter overruled when layers of looks peeled and draped in as studies of undress. Add to this duality the shared domain of decorative details—pendants featuring stones suspended in resin, belts that trailed dramatically, and the airbrushed striped brogues or vivid velvet boots—and Doma’s expression of love read as a collection of conceptual memories. As such, retailers and customers will face the task of singling out the pieces that speak to them in the present. One person’s bleach-splattered satin is another’s impression of a smoldering fire.
