In the middle of the Pre-Fall presentation at the Diane von Furstenberg headquarters was a smocked off-the-shoulder top and matching full skirt cut from technical nylon in an electric-turquoise plaid. Technical nylon is a fabric (papery in feel and practically weightless) that has doubtless never walked a DVF runway before, and it’s exemplary of chief creative officer Jonathan Saunders’s project at the label. The Scotsman has done much to raise the quality and sophistication of materials since his arrival here early last year. Equally, he has an elegant, elevated eye for silhouette. A sleeveless midi dress with a wrap waist in a black-on-ivory polka dot was as languid as its electric-turquoise plaid cousin was bold.
A fellow editor at the early-morning appointment raved, saying the collection transported her to her upcoming beach holiday. That worked for Saunders, who explained that he was trying to conjure a “hazy Saturday feeling.” He achieved that by adding muted colors (think sun-bleached and sandy à la Antonioni’s iconic Zabriskie Point) to DVF’s familiar brights and graphic prints, and by incorporating artisanal touches like a braided silk belt made by at-risk youth in El Salvador via Sequence, an organization founded by Ariela Suster, who sits on the Vital Voices board alongside von Furstenberg. The shoes and bags made at the company’s usual factories were similarly crafty in spirit. But Saunders’s success here is ultimately all down to his way with a dress. A halter style constructed from three striped silk scarves and a ruched and high-necked floral-print mesh were two of this season’s beauties.
