As a season, prefall tends to be the moment when brands reissue a lot of best-ofs and big sellers, the sort of bland but necessary items that function as a sales-floor guarantee. Historically, 6397 has bucked this trend, using the season as a launchpad for some of its boldest ideas. Yes, even if Stella Ishii, Lori Lindsay, and Jennifer Smith call their sharkskin shirting, plaid trenches, and kimono dresses in viscose-twill blends “basics,” you can’t help but get the sense this is the 6397 crew flexing their experimental, creative muscles.
Their wild spirit is best seen in their fabrics, which have veered into deliciously bizarre territory. A perfectly simple silk camisole tank and shirt come in shaved lavender and marigold jacquard, the tank made of alternating inside-out panels. A cheetah suit, slim and as classic as could be, is cut in fluffy pseudo velvet. Coats are iridescent, plaids are rich and almost rainbow, and a pair of sack-like dresses come in a cozy knit made by an obscure company that specializes in mattress material. It’s a lot of texture and color for a label known for easy essentials—but it’s also just the stuff to jazz up your jeans and other closet staples.
Lest there be any question, however, that Ishii and co. still make best-in-class basics, there is a platonically perfect black flannel shirt and unquestionably ideal jeans and denim jackets here. Equally appealing are the white carpenter pants and white sweater vest with little rips and tears. And what to say about the Lara Croft–worthy white tank and pencil skirt combo except, yes, please? This season’s graphics read, “Make the Planet Cool Again.” One way to do that would be to buy less, and buy smarter. The 6397 proposition is exactly that: essentials you can love, plus some kooky fun stuff to brighten up the every day.
