Nuance is the name of the game at 6397. The DNA of Stella Ishii’s effortless muse remains the same—she’s a Vans girl in a slub tee who can make boyish jeans look cool as hell—so fans must hone in on the unnoticeable-to-the-untrained-eye details that signal a shift in the designer’s mind-set. For Pre-Fall, those details suggest that Ishii is riding a more dressed-up, ladylike wave. Her slouchy jeans and cashmere sweaters are still there in droves, but there’s also a blue ditzy floral-print top, a boxy crimson slip dress, and a raw-edge black silk skirt that could catch the eye of a Manolo-lover—and maybe even turn her into a Sk8-Hi gal.
Mainstays of the 6397 oeuvre have gotten a slight glamorizing, as well. Ishii’s slouchy suiting was rendered here in muted navy and green camouflage with a slight sheen, things that could work both on any given Wednesday or a special Saturday night. The brand’s repurposed denim initiative, which takes old samples and recuts them into patched-together new pieces, birthed a funny slip dress and a downright cute miniskirt with frayed seams. There’s also a skinnier jean in the mix, produced by the label’s new factory in Italy, which has allowed them to lower prices. A trench is cut loose and fitted in all the right places, while a knit midi dress with ribbed detailing at the waist is in the running for the most traditionally feminine thing ever seen in a 6397 showroom.
The brand has a history of cleverly toeing the line between masculine and feminine. That’s best seen in 6397’s ever-growing graphic T-shirt business, which is loved and worn by guys and girls alike. This time around, Ishii is offering up tees and tanks with the first names of musical icons printed in block letters on the front. Anyone can buy and wear them, granted you know the “Merle,” “Bob,” and “Sly” she’s referencing.
