For resort, Lauren Manoogian leaned into subtle forms of disruption, offering a wide range of textures and yarn weights. “By putting two irregular things together and seeing what comes out, I feel like you end up with this unusual surface that you sort of don’t have control over, but it’s still structured,” she said of her process. The most dramatic example of this approach is a citified shepherd’s cape with defined shoulders that’s knit, but has the look of shearling. On the opposite end of the spectrum is a lightweight double knit that “blisters” and which was used for an apron/miniskirt/peplos, an intriguing layering piece that was apparently a big hit at the lookbook shoot. As important as texture is the play between opacity and transparency. This dichotomy defined the “threadbare” grouping. Machine and hand-knit sweaters in this technique resembled the delicate bark of birch trees.
Manoogian views resort and pre-fall as opportunities both to circle back to unfinished thoughts from the main collections and to have some fun. “I feel like the pre-seasons are an interesting moment to try new things…or just focus on making something really special,” she said at a preview. The openness of this method resulted in one of her strongest offerings yet. All of the different themes were in a constant back-and-forth dialogue, which you can see in the lookbook where gauzy superfine basics, such as leggings, are layered under more substantial knits, like a cape-jacket with fringed edges that is a wonderful alternative to the classic cardigan jacket. Among the wovens punctuating this collection is a group of hammered silk bias-cut slips and skirts—yet another texture—that capture both ’90s cool and old Hollywood glamour. As special as Manoogian’s pieces are, they also lend themselves to modular dressing that gives customers the reason to come back for more, over and over again.
