Assessing Aalto collections strictly by their titles, this season’s Paradise Lost doesn’t match the dark humor of Fall 2016’s Hellsinki. Removing the references—Milton, obviously, the goth metal band, less so—the name Paradise Lost conjures up something grave and despairing. Tuomas Merikoski didn’t take the clothes to such depths, but he did delve into a formal register, and in so doing, turned out a stronger statement. Chalk it up to a greater emphasis on reworked tailoring. A coatdress patched from shirting and a relaxed, double-breasted suit hit the midpoint between established and edge. His natural inclination toward Scandinavian elements played out as a smart, silk waterproof parka with removable fur panels and a shearling teddy, with tinted fur poufs at the pockets (Aalto has begun working with Saga Furs, a fellow Finnish brand).
Knitwear has become a key area of experimentation for Merikoski. The Coogi sweaters in polypropylene and wood were bouncy and brash, less so were the fine-gauge knits boasting windowpane panels of the season’s print, an airbrush-style portrait of three divas in the desert by Sami Saramäki. Merikoski asked the artist to add some Freemasonry symbols; those willing to sport the image in full can make a party game out of finding them. Two flourishes enhanced his shirts: contrast color bands and high-buttoned collars—permanently popped, if you will. Wear one with a pair of jeans and your colleagues may declare work-wardrobe envy—more still if you add the hybrid slipper-sock booties in velvet. Merikoski named the two versions Prince and Michael, proving he hasn’t abandoned the dark humor, after all.
