Time Travel, Memories, and the Latest Resort Shows
What does it mean to go back in time, and what does that have to do with the Resort shows? Maybe nothing!
This is kind of an annoying analogy, but have you been to Meow Wolf in Santa Fe? New Mexico friends, I’m sure you have. The permanent exhibition there is called the House of Eternal Return, and it features a full-sized Victorian house, whose closets and refrigerator spit guests out into trippy spaces that eventually funnel them back into the house again. So, it goes: house, wild experience, and somehow you’re back in the house; repeat. This is what my life has been feeling like lately.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to go back to a previous time in life. I just wrote an article about a charmingly-dated grocery store chain for the foodie mag I contribute to, which made me consider what it would be like to be a kid in my local Safeway again. Also, it was just Mother’s Day, which floods me with memories of my mom and memories of my son as a baby. While I’m grateful for this current moment, I always wish I could go back in time to hug my mom again or sit on the couch and watch Father of the Bride with her one more time. I wish I could touch my son’s fuzzy baby hair and squeeze his squishy baby thighs.
What’s been bringing me back in the most dramatic way lately, though, has been styling. This past weekend, I styled a photoshoot for the first time in—I still can’t believe this is true—TEN YEARS!! It felt so good to be back on set, creating beautiful pictures with old friends in the city where I used to live. This was probably the most surreal moment in my transition back to fashion, and I’m still feeling high from it.
It’s just odd to be in this position because we’re always told that to grow is to move forward, not to go backward, but for me, at this moment, it’s the opposite. I’m feeling growth and excitement and change by returning to the past and remaking it to fit my current situation. This is all just making me remember that life can be counterintuitive; it can fly in the face of all the wisdom we’ve been handed; it can be surprising, and that’s what makes it wonderful.
The Resort 2025 collections are trickling in, and some of the designers are looking to the past, too. Nicholas Ghesquiere just held his show for Louis Vuitton in Barcelona, and he name-checked Spanish designer, Paco Rabanne (huge in the late-1960s) as an influence for the lace pieces in the collection. The white lace skirt is one of my favorite pieces. But the most notable detail in the show was the bubble hem, which appeared on skirts and dresses. The bubble hem has been popping up here and there lately, but Ghesquiere’s adoption of it means that this trend is sure to have legs (pun intended). The only pieces that struck a sour chord for me were the jodhpur pants with odd contrast bottoms. Just awkward.
Louis Vuitton (on Vogue.com)
The Row borrows the rounded silhouette of another famous Spanish designer, Cristobal Balenciaga, whose heyday was the 1950s, as well as and crinkly textured fabrics debuted by Issey Miyake in the early-1990s. Those pleats also pop up in Erdem’s collection, which is rounded out with his signature florals.
First two images: The Row; last three: Erdem
Gucci’s Sabato De Sarno is finally hitting his stride as the newish designer for the label, and I found his collection to be grounded and wearable, albeit not show-stopping like the collections of his predecessor, Alessandro Michele. Check out the white skirt in the middle and tell me it doesn’t have a similar feel to the white lace skirt in my Louis Vuitton pic! I smell a trend!
Gucci (from Vogue.com)
Chanel was looking downright CUTE for Resort, with a youthful vibe that usually eludes the house. I’m loving the grass green on the runway and am wondering if that might be a replacement for butter yellow, which is STILL going strong in the Resort collections so far. The bermuda shorts and long-over-long silhouette we’ve talked about before are here too!
Chanel (from Vogue.com)
Rag & Bone is serving relaxed denim, some very nice tailored trousers, and a great leather jacket (and more butter yellow).
I’m excited to learn about this Mexican designer, Kris Goyri, who released a beautiful Resort collection. He pounced on the large-scale plaids/checks trend and put out some lovely, liquid silhouettes. Keeping an eye on this one.
L to R: Ganni; (next two) Kris Goyri; (last three) Rag & Bone
As for shopping, it’s Memorial Day weekend, which means sales, sales, SALES! Here’s a quick round-up of Resort-inspired things on sale that I would buy if I wasn’t saving up for our big summer trip!
Row 1: Mackage butter yellow coat; the OG Issey Miyake pleats at a GREAT price!; relaxed denim from Agolde with a crossover waist that sets it apart; sweet floral pants from Dries
Row 2: Balenciaga-esque rounded shoulders from Aligne; a great, affordable dress/long-over-long top from Everlane; if you want to do leopard print, here’s a great option from Ganni; bubble hem skirt from Co!
Row 3: Margiela tabis rarely go on sale, but here they are!; green Loewe sunnies - in love!
Row 4: Cutest grass green tote from Melissa ($86!); bitchy Ganni flats
xx,
Jo