“Snap back to reality/Oh, there goes gravity.”
Those two lines from Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” started playing in my head as I sat down to review Filippa K’s fall collection, which translates an escapist fantasy into clothes for everyday life. Creative director Liisa Kessler rewatched Werner Herzog’s 1974 documentary The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner before she designed a collection that, unsurprisingly, is strong on skiwear references, specifically those from Sweden in the groovy ’70s. (The brand even paired with another Swedish company, POC Sports, on technical ski eyewear.) In Steiner, who describes his sport as “ski flying,” Kessler found an escape. “I started to question why this film is so fascinating for me,” she said on a call. “And I had this feeling that the world feels so heavy and there are so many anxieties around us, and when I saw him flying, I felt like there was a sense of freedom.”
Hired in January of last year, Kessler’s debut collection landed well. Like many other designers, she decided to borrow cues from the slopes this season; it’s a smart move that builds on the rugged motocross sports aesthetic that’s been around for a while now, as well as offering something new and seasonal. Second-skin ski-style pants with a bootleg in a vanilla color reference the aerodynamics of Steiner’s ski-jumping suit. Another version, in pastel yellow leather with reinforced knees and zips, will glide nicely into a city wardrobe. Kessler leaned even harder into this active theme, but went off-piste instead, which makes perfect sense in terms of brand heritage, reissuing a waffle knit, and translating ski under layers for casual wear. A ribbed sweater and matching snood and long-john-style pants ensemble is ideal plane attire. Kessler also focused on the coziness of après ski, with fluffy coats made either from teddy bear fabric from Steiff or recycled fake fur, and cozy sweaters.
1990s Filippa K is Kessler’s North Star, and there are references to that time in sheer crinkled skirts and corset tops. As for ’70s references there are “fur” lined coats, carpenter pants, brown-washed denim, and crushed corduroy. A good part of the collection has a “teenage dream” aspect that should especially appeal to Zoomers and millennials. The “Black Diamond” looks in this collection are the tailored pieces and two evening dresses (sheer slip dresses with floating panels). It’s easy to see these as elements Kessler brought with her from her time at Saint Laurent, though Filippa K has always done suiting, and as the creative designer notes, co-founder Filippa Knutsson was one of the first to advocate “wearing your suit with sneakers—this whole approach of mixing dressed up with dressed down and keeping an effortless, laid back attitude.”
