Escada could not host a 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.
One of the most prevalent themes to emerge from weeks of Zoom appointments for the resort 2021 season is the importance of clothing that can stand the test of time. It makes sense: Right now time feels at a standstill; no plans to make, offices to dress for, or events to inspire an evening of glamour. For the moment at least, luxury fashion has to be grounded in a want-now, wear-later model. Escada’s Emma Cook has handled this with a clever mash-up of time itself. The brand known for ’80s excess is modernizing by playing up its Reagan-era fabulosity while simultaneously paring back and simplifying silhouettes and fabrics. “It’s a tiny bit gauche and a little bit over the top, but in a cool way,” Cook offers. “Still sexy, but sexy for a still cool older woman.”
Appealing to a customer with memories of Escada’s peak-shouldered pantsuits is wise. The brand’s tailoring still has a strong customer base; now it comes in soft colors like cream and cornflower blue. Soigné day-to-night dresses in Julie Verhoeven–illustrated prints and stamped leather car coats flesh out the serene offering here, smartly clashed with one metallic gold mini suit and a bralette dripping in black pearls.
Because of lockdowns in London, where Cook and her atelier are based, she found herself making do and mending—literally. “I got the machine out and was sewing myself for the first time in a while,” she says. The result is clothing with “more love and attention” paid to its craft and its purpose. A highlight of Cook’s experimentation is a white jersey maxidress covered in tiny mirrors. In the look book it almost looks like broderie anglaise, but in real life, it shines with the wattage of a thousand suns. “Still pretty light,” she offers of the dress’s weight. But heavy impact. “If you make it loud it has to be easy,” she continues. Sounds like a pretty timeless idea for a heritage brand.
