David Koma could not host a show or presentation this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. In these extenuating circumstances, Vogue Runway has made an exception to its policy and is writing about this collection via photos and remote interviews.
“I feel it’s important to stay true to yourself and stay true to what you believe no matter what,” says David Koma from his London studio. What that means in the Koma universe is glamour—but how to marry the sexy, slinky appeal of a Koma piece with the slouchy, ready-for-Zoom aesthetic of “work from home fits” borne of COVID-19 self-isolation? A clever marriage of coziness and camp is Koma’s solution.
The stretch corsets from his fall 2020 collection reappeared here. Without boning they are more like loungewear than babe-wear, able to be tucked into stretch patent leather bike shorts or a knit miniskirt in a bright bubblegum pink. Long crystal mesh dresses are layered with knitwear or slouchy blazers, and even a neon green metallic off-the-shoulder dress has four-way stretch, making it the sort of Zoom party-to-couch-potato item a Koma vamp might be looking for during her home stay. Destined to arrive in stories this fall and winter, these clothes have plenty of going-out potential too. As the world opens up, Koma’s women will cheerily step back into it in crystals, neons, and body-con dresses. Just don’t think of it as a return to normal—by fusing in new elements of comfort and emphasizing a more streamlined silhouette, Koma is showing he can adapt to a changing world.
