Understandably, most of the designers who decided to move forward with resort collections this year focused their creative inspirations around the simplicity of being at home. Like the rest of us, they were confined to their own living spaces as the coronavirus outbreak began, and the ways in which they typically designed, produced, and manufactured were completely disrupted. Sylvie Millstein calls her new lineup the “at home” collection. Compared to her fall 2020 runway, which featured embellished suiting, and velvet and silk jacquard gowns, this offering was a refreshing, edited take on the glamorous Hellessy aesthetic.
Smartly so, she and her team decided to focus on two of their bestselling categories: denim and knitwear. Millstein asked herself, “what’s the purpose of developing a collection under these circumstances?” Her answer was conceptualizing a capsule line of comfortable, practical clothing. Items like a drapey, pearl embellished cable knit sweater and jeans decorated with a long silk sash are the kinds of things one might wear on a Zoom call or to a small dinner party at a friend’s place.
Also worth noting is the fact that Millstein used only upcycled fabrics from previous collections, a tactic she’d be wise to continue building upon for future designs. Though Millstein’s “at home” point of view isn’t entirely unique in this new world we’re living in, she deserves high marks for her concise, straightforward, but still pretty approach to a new kind of everyday uniform.
