There’s a loosely woven floral jacquard in this Maria Cornejo collection modeled on one she created for a Pre-Fall lineup seven years ago, circa 2012. Cornejo has closets full of clothes she’s designed—she’s her own internal research firm. When she starts reaching for old pieces again and again, and when she notices her team members turning to looks from previous seasons too, she reconsiders them and makes them new. The gauzy jacquard she’s redesigned holds a lot of appeal for her because it’s polished and special, but remarkably lightweight—i.e. easy to wear. Pre-Fall, she says, “is about wardrobing our lady during the hottest months of the year”: June, July, and August.
With that in mind, she’s created easy chambray separates; cotton poplin pieces cut to float around the body, not cling; and a viscose linen in a range of hues that feels cool to the touch. A chevron jacquard crafted from responsibly made viscose comes in two juicy colorways; cut into silhouettes including a kimono jacket and tank dress and a long tunic worn over pants, the chevrons pack quite a visual punch. Cornejo herself spends the hottest months of the year here in the city, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge on her morning and evening commutes. Based on her internal research, the journey demands a flat shoe. Her proposition is a strappy flat slide in a range of cool neutrals.
