Given that he’s Australian, and a fan of the seaside, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Christopher Esber would come up with a sartorial hook like “office to beach.” Bikini ties became the starting point for clothing that spanned Esber’s usual touchpoints—transformable knits, peekaboo tailoring, men’s tailoring adapted to women—and included a few new ones along the way.
The designer explored dual functionality for trousers, which came with a removable cummerbund to go high-rise or low. A leather top incorporated underwires to become truly “second skin.” A brass ring—the kind one might spot on a navel—anchored micro-pleated stretch fabric that wrapped around the body like a cocoon. Experimentation came in gradients of purple, shots of yellow, and ruching in lieu of darts. One simple long, black knit dress with ruching through the waist made a striking statement. For entirely different reasons, so did the designer’s “patchwork” dress, a number that incorporated fabric orders past and present so that no materials go to waste. A dress in gray men’s suiting with a draped, chiffon-like fabric on the bodice looked interesting; paired with a slouchy tailored jacket, it neatly transposed the idea of wearing a boyfriend’s coat after the party’s over.
Esber is steadily expanding his business: He just launched a short line of wedge sandals, and he’s been picked up by Moda Operandi. True, his customer will need to have abs of steel to wear practically everything he does. But then again, if she is doing office-to-beach, it’s probably not an issue for her.
