Sandra Sandor’s spring 2021 collection was inspired by the reconnection she felt to nature after quarantining in the Hungarian countryside. For pre-fall, the designer’s inspiration is more closely related to interior design. An abstract picture frame she encountered brought back memories of the Jean Cocteau prints hanging in her parents’ home. The Surrealists were Sandor’s introduction to the fine arts, and the movement, which was known for its strange juxtapositions and symbolism, inspired her new collection.
Don’t go looking for painted lobsters à la Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli, though. Sandor’s take on Surrealism is so subtle as to be almost unnoticeable visually (minus some asymmetric sleeve shapes and color-blocked jeans)—and that’s okay. What she seems to have taken away from her initial inspiration is a sense of optimism and play. Her challenge was to reconcile Surrealism with Sandorisms. “I was thinking, how could I manifest this in a way that I will be happy with the final aesthetic of the collection?” she explained on a call. “I kind of figured that the only way that could happen is to juxtapose [the irregular, Surrealistic aspects] with something very minimal and basic.”
The result is a play of opposites: a vegan leather boiler suit softened with a macrame belt, for example, or a pink knit ensemble (a work-from-home dream) whose cables are applied with playful irregularity. On the accessories front, Eye of Horus-inspired sunglasses with ball weighted chains in place of arms and draped velvet flats are most closely aligned with the Surrealist theme.
