According to Haider Ackermann, he doesn’t overthink—or even much consciously contemplate—the direction of his collections. They just happen. One concession, however, was that he wanted to create clothes that felt “inhabited” this time around. Certainly, these were clothes with personality: languidly and romantically Haider-ish, of course, with many hinted at but mostly hidden depths.
The prettily faded floral-patterned underside of a popped revere on a soft but tailored drill jacket and the liner below it disguised what looked like a khaki shirt and pant pairing below; in fact, this was a boilersuit whose top and bottom were connected only at the back. A flower-strewn black silk robe was worn above a long, sleeveless liner which itself was lined with a zigzag golden yellow silk quilting. Along with a made in Italy but Japanese-looking blossom floral, that quilting was a touchstone of the collection. There were two superb bombers, one black, the other a faded yellowy green in palm brocade velvet; these were key pieces in a high-and-fitted silhouette against which Ackermann countered his robe-topped looser looks.
Interspersed amongst the menswear were pieces from women’s Pre-Fall that ran from an artfully battered military look in what looked like light boiled wool to a sharply handsome floral-patterned monochrome suit. Etched into one of the men’s belts were the words: “Hold on to me.” There was a lot here to hold on to, happily.
