Several years ago, Mara Hoffman was known for her vibrant digital prints, the kind that made a statement but weren’t exactly everyday wearable. Now she specializes in versatile but considered pieces you can wear constantly without losing interest. Her ribbed knits have sculpted (but not stiff) shoulders; her tailoring is cut oversized and drapey; and even the most basic items come in a curious texture, like her best-selling smocked Tencel “popcorn” dresses. Curve-hugging and often blocked with swirls of color, they’re comfy and casual and joyfully celebrate the female form. Their reputation among people of all ages and sizes even landed the dress on Vogue’s September cover, modeled by Japanese-Dutch model Yumi Nu (who also happens to be the first Asian curve model to appear in the magazine).
The dress unsurprisingly features in Hoffman’s fall 2021 collection, which is arriving online and in stores this week. Where Nu’s version came in shades of bright cherry and peony, fall’s is black and ivory, in keeping with the designer’s calmer, more grounded palette. Splitting her time between upstate New York and Manhattan got her thinking about pieces that could work in both places: That dress is one, ditto the padded trench coats, sculpted sweaters, and new straight-leg chinos. Hoffman pointed out that the pants are also 100% recycled cotton, a trickier achievement than it may sound; in the past, recycled cotton fibers were prone to pilling, but she insisted these are velvety and made to last.
Incorporating more recycled fibers like cotton is a top-line goal for Hoffman, in part due to the rising demand for organic cotton. The padded coats were filled with recycled Thinsulate, and her ribbed turtlenecks were a downy blend of cashmere and wool spun from existing sweaters. Those who can’t give up their sweats will be happy to hear that the gray pullover and jumpsuit were made of cotton terry on its second or third life, too.
