Art runs into Kym Ellery’s family. Her mother is an artist, and before turning fashion designer, Ellery’s natural habitat was in the art world. “I see our woman as an art collector,” she said. “An intelligent woman, looking for something she can curate, a wardrobe that speaks to her for a lifetime and not just for the now.”
Ellery felt that now was the time to “take a step back and have a look at what I’ve done,” after launching her collection 13 years ago. “It’s so easy today to lose oneself in the hype, with this constant release of collections, information, visual imagery, and products everywhere,” she continued. “So it’s important to ask: Who are we among this noise?” Revisiting her archival evergreens seemed the right thing to do. She edited old pieces and updated whatever needed to be refreshed in a process not only of reflection but almost of new self-discovery. Spending time in the mountains provided the rarefied, meditative atmosphere she needed, which also inspired the attitude of the pre-fall collection. Being an accomplished photographer, she even shot the look book’s images herself in St. Moritz.
Powerful tailoring with an imaginative twist on proportions is one of Ellery’s fortes. Here the designer reworked the strong-shouldered silhouette she favors, adding artsy details like the elegant hardware she designs—a removable tasseled gold metal chain crisscrossing the sides of a sharp-cut masculine coat, for instance—or the soft corsetry she strapped over a candy-floss-pink bouclé redingote and a vegan-leather black greatcoat with assertive drop shoulders.
Picking up on the mountain feel, relaxed après-ski knit ensembles in wool mélange had a ’70s flair, with elongated tunics worn over flared pants. A draped bodysuit paired with sporty Lycra leggings made for a rather dramatic moment. It’d look perfect for an evening out after a day on the slopes, making for a head-turning entrance at St. Moritz’s Chesa Veglia.
