“I would wear this to a gala dinner,” says Natasha Zinko, pulling a roomy lilac maxi dress from the rails of her Pre-Fall 2019 collection. “The denim collar gives it this easy evening glamour.” That draped gown brings prettiness to an offering that overall has a far tougher attitude. It was while in Florida that Zinko took the photograph that has become the unlikely core of the lineup. The garbage print is an image of a trash can (and van) in the throes of cleaning up Miami Beach. Clearly, one designer’s trash is another’s treasure. Seen here, its vivid blues and yellows take on an alluring hyperreality. “There’s a beauty to it,” says Zinko of the shot, which is printed onto body-con zippered dresses, sleeveless sporty separates, and even an unstructured boxy cross-body bag. It’s invested with a surprising luxury when layered onto the back of a deliciously soft long shearling coat.
Zinko’s starting point this season was Duke of Windsor suits. This gave rise to a lovely checkered shirtdress and a series of roomy plaid two-pieces with unfinished hems and a fresh, vibrant feel. This offering marked the sophomore outing of Zinko’s menswear line, created in collaboration with her son, Ivan; hence the mannish suiting that came with shorts rather than long pants. Overall, Zinko is showing a deepening confidence, with looks that toe the line between youth and maturity, grit and glamour. In the words of her son (and a slang phrase inscribed onto many of the clothes): It’s “drippy no slippy.”
