Designers Galib Gassanoff and Luca Lin are sticking to their format of theatrical performances to showcase their collections’ tailoring and decadent glamour. For their spring show, a quartet played arias at the center of the show space as the ruffles snaking over sartorial suits delivered a déjà-vu effect — until the last three models strutted down the catwalk. They appeared on stage wearing gowns with petticoats equipped with rollers, borrowed from 18th-century dames, opened the cages and under layers of tulle revealed languid column black dresses. It was a sensational finale.
The look: The duo continued to charm with its signature aesthetic in which sartorial rigor was twisted via the snaking tulle ruffles, overskirts and trains attached to everything from suits to floor-length trenchcoats. At times, their signature element felt repetitive and forced while the more experimental couture-like gowns skewed wearability in favor of a wow effect.
Quote of note: “We were raised immersed in rigid traditions, religious beliefs and guided by a cumbersome heritage since we were kids,” Gassanof said. “Now it’s time for us to overturn things and rethink the past to evolve toward a better future,” echoed Lin.
Key pieces: Fluid silk dresses and denim uniforms heavy on layering, both with a 1990s feel; frocks and tailored suits bearing Toile de Jouy prints and jacquards in a burnished golden nuance; trenchcoats-slash-ballgowns with petticoats that exuded a theatrical feel.
Takeaway: Proving consistent over time is a great achievement for young designers, however, the design duo certainly has the knack for conjuring a new look, similarly daring but more surprising.
