“It’s still a little dreamy, but it’s a little more elegant, feminine, sexy,” explained Natalia Alaverdian, wiping away tears backstage after the show. Apparently, her Parisian runway debut was not without its setbacks. Yet they clearly proved surmountable, as from the first look through the 50th, she sent out a sizeable collection that was polished, thoughtfully executed, and worthy of wearing.
Follow A.W.A.K.E. for long enough and an organic inspiration always emerges alongside various Japanese constructions and trippy tailoring. In high doses, these signatures have hitherto materialized into shapes that could often be quirky and occasionally cumbersome. This time, pleated skirts wrapped around form-fitting tops producing dancer-esque silhouettes while pants sliced high from the cuff swished with each step. Linen suiting was softly boxy instead of imposing, and only sometimes did draping details seem superfluous. Mostly, her nods to nature played out as prints: the undulations of Antelope Canyon in Arizona, farmed terrains against blue skies, rows of bamboo, and an extreme close-up of an animal eye (an albino zebra, she said). Several of the shirts and jackets that betray no sign of deconstruction from the front were actually open at the back and framed with an arching shirt collar. For reference, a buttery yellow shirt towards the end featured this trick from the front. She didn’t name check Margiela, but the influence (see also the trompe l’oeil torso on an LBD) was palpable, but it wasn’t off-putting. Indeed, her version of ladylike—an earthy femme fatale, call it—should go over well in the roughly 60 stores that now carry A.W.A.K.E. While buyers will surely edit down, they should definitely consider carrying her foray into jewelry. Alaverdian noted their “space-y” look, but to this reviewer, they resembled teardrops.
