Christian Wijnants set off in a few new directions for fall. Some of them were a complete departure.
He switched things up on prints, for instance. Ever a fan of inner journeys, Wijnants sampled a couple of things spotted on Sunday rounds of museums and galleries and reworked them as suiting motifs. A mask, for example, turned up on a blue suit; another example was a motif extrapolated from a cabinet of curiosities exhibition by Wes Anderson that Wijnants had admired at the Fondazione Prada in Milan. “There were lots of things on my mood board; it was a little bit all over the place,” he said backstage postshow. “I like when you’re not even sure what something is, but it’s a little bit antique, and I love the idea of an old museum that’s been that way for a century.”
It was an eclectic exercise, grounded by a deep dive into knitwear, notably with poetically and architecturally draped knits and hand-crocheted ensembles. Some, like the English ribbed halter top in the opening look, were sophisticated; some handily channeled artisanal without going full-on; and others seemed to whisper “stay in with a good book”—unless, of course, you want to step out while secretly feeling like you’re wearing pajamas. Wijnants also offered up some relaxed tailoring and wrapped pieces, winningly on a pine green sleeveless top.
Elsewhere, the designer explored reptilian finishes and allusions in shiny fabrics, textured knits with slithery motifs and the tubular jersey fringe on mesh that he first revealed in his recent pre-collection (yes, it was therapeutic—snakes make him jittery). One of those dresses was topped by a new experiment, a coat made of a double-weave mohair in royal blue mixed with white. Wijnant’s base will likely snap that up too.
