Aaron Potts started his fall 2022 collection with a limitation. He wanted to make clothes inspired by skin tones, from pale blush to jet-black. “Because that’s a limited color palette, how do you make it more?” he said. “That was about mixing sheen with matte, airiness with things that are cozy, and really mixing textures together.” Those textures, which range from patent leather to sports mesh, with horsehair and boiled wool in between, create depth, especially in the 14 jet-black outfits.
The cast was also deeply important to Potts, whose label is unisex. “The biggest thing for me is that I design from a place of really trying to tear down boundaries in terms of size, gender, race, and age,” he said. “I design for a certain spirit and not for an age or a size.” The message mostly comes across, but there is not a plus-size model featured in the look book.
As for the clothes, Potts favors the final all-black looks—with good reason—but he created some magic with color as well. The knitted bouclé that he described as “freckle tweed” is a good example of what is possible within this color palette, which was one of Potts’s objectives. “I wanted to show how these skin tones become beautiful, classic neutrals that work on anyone,” he said. The freckled poncho and scarf also turn the signature Potts-ian volume into something imminently wearable.
About that volume. The standout in the collection is a boiled-wool knit coat with a detachable cape on the back made from windbreaker fabric. It creates a compelling contrast between structure and flow. It’s all black too, which makes it seem more approachable. Some of the experimental aspects are less effective, such as the mesh tentacles attached to bags and on the back of a tank top. But when it works, it really works. Potts has a way of making casual clothing feel elevated and bold silhouettes accessible. Look 29 appears to be an evening gown paired with shiny black opera gloves. Upon further inspection, the skirt has a drawstring and the top has an oversized breast pocket. Who would wear this? They seem like they’d be a lot of fun.
