People may be out and about in Paris, but Andrew Gn is one designer who gets that, while we all may be eager to get dressed up and socialize again, something fundamental has shifted.
“Now people want to dress in ways that stand the test of time,” Gn observed during a showroom visit. Which is why his spring outing is rife with investment pieces that are in it for the long haul. Several jumpsuits, say, or workhorse dresses with jeweled collars, or maybe a white suit with jeweled buttons and harem trousers for the modern bride. (The coming boom has his base spreadsheeting outfits, the designer notes).
Seeing his clothes re-emerge from clients’ closets is always a rush for Gn. So he decided to heed a recurring request from at least one loyalist who literally wore a coral motif jacket from his 2011 cruise collection to bits. Since that’s one of Gn’s favorite signatures, the next thing he did was reach out to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.
The result is a reimagining of his classics, an awareness-raising hashtag—#CoralsAliveAGN—and plans to showcase those pieces with an international retailer. That motif, reimagined in white and gold brocade on a coat with detachable pleated cuffs, on maxi dresses with red dip-dyed feathers, or as a ’70s-inflected print, will offer plenty of mileage.
Another major influence was the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton film Boom! Though dark-ish and a flop in its day, the designer points out that even yesterday’s lemons can change how you see the world now. Shot in 1968, the film is set on Sardinia, in a mid-century modern house with lashings of baroque decor. That and Taylor’s wardrobe make it worth the watch, he offered.
In that spirit, a white dress with cap sleeves and strong, custom-shaped shoulders harks back to the ’80s, reviving the empowerment a V-shape can confer and creating a little personal space in the bargain. Ditto a coat dress with jeweled details, a dress with a ruched, draped waist, and a double-breasted jacket. Power sleeves riff on Restoration-era leg-of-mutton, worked in duchess satin or in 3D guipure featuring Gn’s beloved butterflies.
The designer also uses lace as a romantic counterpoint, for example on a black dress dripping with tendrils inspired by ’20s-era confections. Vintage lace gets a second life in a short cocktail dress with puffed sleeves.
As a finale, this season Gn will also finally get around to a proper launch for his accessories, going direct to consumers with the A handbag, embellished with hardware inspired by the work of sculptor Jean Arp, colorful belts and chandelier earrings, among other pieces. Here’s betting those turquoise and coral-colored numbers move fast.
