Dear Reader,
This season feels fresh and renewed as couturiers eschew the gilt and the bling. The eye-piercing logos have disappeared, the accessories have been kept down to a minimum, and even hair and makeup is stripped down and severe.
At Dior regal goddess gowns reigned—these are quietly powerful outfits for quietly powerful women; Classical dresses looked draped for caryatids; with others having long, fluid lines in architectural tunics, shifts, and capes; there were a few precious lace dresses and some seed pearl embroidery.
Minimalism at Fendi saw a parade of understated, grown-up luxury eveningwear now which were created with draping and wrapping of lush fabric, and very little else. Kim Jones referred to a 1990s minimalist aesthetics and merged that with echoes of the statuary of ancient Rome, where Fendi is based, for an unadorned look that is completely relevant to these times. Chanel was remarkable for sending out unembellished coats, grey tweed suits, shorn of the usual brand signifiers and multiple bags. There were many little black dresses featuring nothing but a flutter of chiffon and a black bow; or sheer dresses with the dropped waist and bell shaped skirt of the Art Deco.
It rather brings to mind how the masters of the mid 1990s, the iconic “Intellectuals,” including Helmut Lang, Ann Demeulemeester and Jil Sander, came to refresh vulgar 1980s fashion with pared-back looks. For this very welcome 1990s revival, ABARA has just the elegantly pared down handbags that are right on trend. Our Bow Accordion Mini in créme calf leather is completely sleek and minimal and has an intriguing origami geometry that would perfectly go with your new minimalist wardrobe; The Crescent Bag has a gloriously scultpural presence like a sculpture by Georgia O'Keefe; The Vanity Case is completely inspired by cubist ladies' bags from the 1920s!
