The opening look of Damir Doma’s latest collection was not unlike what people have come to expect from the designer: a romantic vision that shifts around standard shapes just enough to make them feel outside place or time. But then things started to look a little less expected with the arrival of blousons with gathered sleeves, warm-up jackets, and patchwork denim—even if each appeared as meticulously executed as usual. Doma confirmed that this pivot was every bit intentional. “I would like to do something people identify with immediately. It’s not anymore about making people dream what they will want to wear in two years,” he explained. “I’m trying to close the gap between something that we did in the past and something we want to do in the future, which is something that’s much more direct.”
While it would be easy enough to conclude that he’s caving to streetwear peer pressure, Doma made a fair point when he followed up with the fact that he really just wants to design for his friends, many of whom walked in the show. When he listed what they do—musician, designer, artist assistant, writer—some of the disparately eclectic separates became more convincing. Indeed, he was strongest when considering how to be different yet also universally relatable: See the coats unstructured like long nightgowns or a striped pant boasting a subtle Moroccan mosaic-inspired jacquard. As a noncolorist, Doma challenged himself with hits of orchid, emerald, and saffron; his customers might be ready by now to make that leap.
Doma’s men’s and women’s capsule with Lotto Sport Italia, a throwback athletic brand, was the most daring—and also the toughest to reconcile, especially when jerseys were juxtaposed with jackets laced like corsets. Nonetheless, his confidence in this new direction was reassuring. To borrow from the meandering pointillist pattern that defined the collection: These things can easily be straightened out.
