This was very different from Astrid Andersen. Yes, it was hype, but was also . . . hygge. Plus, maybe it was the wide-brimmed hats (hand-shaped in Copenhagen by Hornskov) and the tailoring influence that was her starting point, but it also had a faint but discernible flavor of Ray Petri/Felix Howard. A hint of Buffalo leftover from previous collections but becoming fundamental.
Andersen’s key ingredients—discombobulating lace insertions played against streetwear shapes, something she pioneered a decade ago and the wider hype-y, follow-me world has since seized upon—were there. But in the cable-knit paneled tracksuits, the hand-painted print outerwear, the rib-knit kinetically bonded patchwork undies—was an interesting dig into the organic and a turn away from the synthetic. Andersen is a roaring supporter of traceable but totally used-to-scamper animal fur, made in collaboration with Saga; only here its usual big-pimpin’ extravagance was tempered by the informality of the garments beneath. Also vaguely shocking—at least until you recalled that she will present her first collaborative collection with Fila in Florence next Thursday—was that instead of Nike, her models were shod in Dr. Martens.
This was a transition collection, fascinating if you follow the hieroglyphics of the designer. For those who expect her to do one thing, and just that, it might have been a confusing topic-swerve. But it hinted at a creative development, a step forward, and a graduation. Also, hygge—much better than hype.
