Nicole and Michael Colovos are digging into jeans in a major way for Pre-Fall. Denim was their first project together—their Habitual line won them a runner-up position in the first CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund—so this is a full-circle moment for the pair. That mutual history shows in this collection. The Colovoses are experts in denim minutiae, as in where to add a hip seam to enhance the figure, and more technical details about washes and hardware. They’re keen to make their production process as “green” as possible these days, so they’ve started using recycled metal for their button closures, and are investigating cleaner washes. All this would be irrelevant if they didn’t also have an eye for cut and fit, but they’re definitely not short in that department. At the moment, they’re liking the look of a higher rise and a roomy, almost baggy leg that tapers above the ankle. They’ve done a lot of interesting waistband treatments.
Another clever exploration: the denim-print silk they cut into a shirtdress and super-high-waisted pants. (These reminded of a brilliant Martin Margiela collection from 1996 in which he made photo prints of sequins to create a series of fancy/not fancy trompe l’oeil frocks.) From a distance, the Colovoses’ denim-print silk looks like the genuine article, but the material is lightweight, so it’s more or less humidity-proof. Take it from this New Yorker, there’s nothing worse than jeans on the subway in an August heatwave. And that’s not all they did for denimheads this season; there’s also a dark rinse trench and a sharp blazer with rounded sleeves. The black silk dress with a micro-print of clasping hands is very Nicole C—chic yet understated. It’s the kind of easy-to-wear dress that could make you feel pulled together all summer long.
