Aussie designer Christopher Esber has a few bright ideas up his sleeve. A few are orange, with or without clear glass buttons half-filled with liquid pigment. But that’s not the whole story.
For Spring, he picked up where he left off with his Resort collection, feminizing masculine shapes and turning classics into hybrids. One strong piece, a black jacket with open-back details and tie, can be worn to flash some skin or with a T-shirt underneath. “Airing things out felt right for summer,” he said.
By Esber’s own admission, dresses are not necessarily his primary comfort zone. Still, a shirred, jewel-neck white dress had the makings of a working-woman’s staple. It’s not every designer who can work cut-outs or segmented functionality without making a girl feel half-naked.
Further along, he embellished on the T-shirt idea with lashings of lace, darts, or shirred details that gave structured pieces enough sportiness without tipping into streetwear. A few stealth items, notably a deep-V jersey blouse, looked essential enough to make up for a lack of hanger appeal. A tailored white shirt worked nicely, too. Esber’s base will also appreciate a jacket that, with a few well-placed buttons, flips from clean line to lapels.
“There’s always something to perfect,” the designer commented. “I feel like it’s important to give women lots of options so they can make the clothes their own experience.”
