Of all the designers to have Y2K mania, Lauren Manoogian is by far the least expected. Thoughtful, peaceful Manoogian is about as far as one can get from Britney and X-tina… And yet for spring 2022, Manoogian found herself revisiting design elements she once hated from the late ’90s and early aughts. Ruched pieces, scrunched fabrics, and citron yellow became central to her collection. And then came the bandeau tops, Manoogian explained over a video call from Paris, which she and her partner, Chris Fireoved, used to layer up, over, and under their rich knitwear. The final product looks nothing like the stringy, strappy nostalgic stuff populating other collections—a testament to Manoogian’s sure-footed and stable vision.
Being able to spend months in Peru with her knitters helped push new ideas into the collection as well. The most resplendent are the hand knits, cardigans entirely knitted in one piece, radiating out from a central point at the nape of the neck. A bubbled rib skirt, made from distorting a rib, adds a rocky texture that complements Manoogian’s stony palette this season—her colors are called slate, coal, shale, and seaglass. Knit bags made of a hand-painted yarn are woven so tight they even look like stone; a woven dress is called the “vessel dress,” distorting the body into a gentle bulb shape. Manoogian has always been an expert in taking up and building up space through her knits and wovens; now she is giving her clients even more ways to do so. Apron wraps, asymmetric-hem interlock stretch pieces, and ballooning pants push the Lauren Manoogian wardrobe to new, exciting places. How will women wear these pieces? The options feel endless—a good feeling in a season that, so far, feels more prescriptive than collaborative.
