Isa Arfen designer Serafina Sama was in a nostalgic mood this season. She mined childhood memories of summers spent on the Adriatic coast in Italy for inspiration, hence the photo prints of vintage postcards sent from Marina di Ravenna—all sourced on eBay—that were featured on a swishy box-pleated skirt, pajama-style shirt, and thigh-skimming micromini. That charming scenery was a fitting backdrop for a collection full of breezy, mood-brightening pieces. Sama usually manages to balance functionality with a sense of fun, and her latest offering was a good example of that. There was certainly nothing precious about the drawstring asymmetric circle skirts cut from featherlight, crushable tech fabrics. You could throw them in a carry-on without any fuss. Sama’s signature high-waisted pants made an appearance, too, this time spun from a linen cotton blend and printed with vertical deck chair stripes that lent a flattering line.
After the slightly corseted silhouettes of last season, Sama experimented with more gentle nip-waisted shapes for Spring. The color-block parachute-style sundresses struck a nice balance between ladylike and laid-back. Her popular off-the-shoulder tops were replaced by puff-sleeved button-up tops of a vaguely 1980s bent that felt fresh without straying too far from the label’s established whimsical stomping grounds.
Though she’s Italian by birth, Sama went to school in London, a world apart from the picturesque, sun-soaked scene she conjured for Spring. Still, given the record high temperatures (global warming at its realest!) seen in the U.K. these past few months, suddenly the idea of a high summer wardrobe seems much more wide-reaching. Whether she’s designing clothes for work or play, Sama is clearly in her comfort zone here.
