There were many muses to Winnie Beattie and Tracy Feith’s fall Warm collection, among them Tony Duquette, Anita Pallenberg and Peruvian singer Yma Sumac, all of whom share some of the exotic, individualist, maximalist attitude encapsulated by the collection. The ethos has been consistent since Beattie and Feith launched the line, as an extension of Beattie’s downtown New York store. There will always be generously cut, colorful printed dresses with ruffles, bibs and tiered skirts and peasant shirts, here in silk chiffon, charmeuse and cotton with meticulously placed border prints, that are typically filed under luxe “bohemian,” though Beattie pointed out that the term is a little stigmatizing. “There’s certainly a relaxed spirit, but I don’t think that necessarily means you want to run off to Woodstock,” she said.
The concept might be carefree, but the execution is careful. For example, dresses with different prints on the front and back could be worn either way, and a velvet jacket with a detachable fur collar lined in quilted denim was reversible. Beattie and Feith also branched out this season, with puckered Japanese gingham done on a very cool, long Victorian grunge dress, and crisp white poplin shirts with slightly exaggerated proportions to wear alone or as a counterpoint to some of the more exuberant fare, such as a velvet apron peasant dress or a maxiskirt. There was also a nice luxe sporty moment for girls who have an outdoorsy side but aren’t one of the guys. A delicious, dense oversize navy shearling was like the rich, but down to earth, cousin of the classic Patagonia fleece, and more traditional fleeces came with sweet ruffle details. And new on the agenda for Warm: e-commerce, coming soon for either spring or pre-fall.