For Spring, Dondup embraced a process of extreme simplification of its style, reducing the collection to a series of items rendered only in a black or white version. Worked around the idea of “girls borrowing from the boys,” the lineup sported classic masculine staples like tailored blazers, tuxedo jackets, sporty bombers, and oversize shirts, which were given a feminine twist via minimal, subtle details (a little too subtle, perhaps?).
A roomy double-breasted blazer had lapels embroidered with sequins; a romantic ruffled shirt peeked out from an elongated waistcoat with raw hems; an oversize sweatshirt was worn as a sexy minidress. It was all well and good—and certainly commercially viable. But not the slightest hint of the rock ’n’ roll, fierce, rebellious Dondup spirit of yore was in sight: Its irreverence was replaced by a domesticated, no-nonsense, quite bland formality. Even an almost bourgeois printed pussy-bow blouse made an appearance. Later, a pair of slim-fitting, skin-tight denim pants, one of the label’s strongest features, came to the rescue, providing a frisson of much-needed excitement. To amp up the sex factor, Tina Kunakey, the bombshell model who recently married French actor Vincent Cassel, was lensed in the lookbook, injecting her sultry charm into the sleek, streamlined collection.
