There was a charming, disheveled opulence to Michael van der Ham’s fall collection, with the designer fashioning his girlish silhouettes from a rich palette of chiffon patched with devoré velvet, metallic jacquards and cashmere embroidered with silk. These luxurious fabrics gave a new haute appeal to van der Ham’s signature pieced-together aesthetic, which he’s built on a magpielike knack for crafting designs from a patchwork of materials.
This season, the designer worked the idea on looks that ranged from regal-looking, floor-sweeping gowns — such as one done in a patchwork of a glittery black-and-white floral, black silk and shiny jacquard — to lower-octane looks. In the latter group, there were cashmere sweaters embroidered with randomly placed patches of silk, one insouciantly paired with a jacquard skirt in metallic shades of blue, gray and silver.