Rachel Scott launched her brand, Diotima, in May of this year with the goal of highlighting Jamaican crochet artists. Her debut was inspired by dancehall culture as well as the school uniforms she wore to a Jesuit institution growing up in Kingston, Jamaica. For her second collection, resort 2022, she continues to produce thoughtful clothes that bridge sex appeal with whimsical details and interesting textures.
The designer is still inspired by dancehall queens in the ’90s, particularly Carlene Smith, along with an old form of carnival in the Caribbean called Junkanoo. “It used to happen on Boxing Day, which was the day after Christmas when the slaves could basically have time off,” Scott explains. “They’d do this masquerade carnival. It’s a subversive thing that existed in the Caribbean for a long time.” She highlights one voluminous dress in the collection that merges those two influences. Made of two different colors of striped cotton poplin, the skirt is constructed in a way that almost suggests a bustle. The slits and the large back cutout bring in the party.
Breaking up the party-friendly silhouettes are more masculine or plain ones (again, the school-uniform inspiration.) But there’s always an intriguing detail to be found. One of the key pieces from Scott’s debut was a long, khaki pleated skirt; this season, it’s rendered in a hibiscus-colored woven cotton that’s treated to resemble leather. Texture is one of Scott’s strong suits. There’s the crochet, of course. One daring, open weave dress resembles three spider’s webs strung together. But Scott is also unafraid of combining two strong textures in one piece. A tweed blazer is broken up at the waist with a strip of white crochet. A pair of tailored orange and black pants feature a strip of the pink woven cotton. The taffeta lilac oversized men’s shirt would be standard fare if not for the fact that the bottom of the shirt is cut into jellyfish-like tentacles and there’s a doily on the breast pocket. With coordinating straight-leg pants, it’s a quasi-suit that’s made to shine on the dance floor.
