The creative juice of Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters’ pre-fall lineup was partially sourced from the idea of Fifties’ party attire mingled with late disco garb of Seventies/early Eighties. But Gabier explained their idea best by saying, “It’s a collision of natural and artificial elements, like animal-print and horn details against Fifties sugary colors.”
The designers are drawn to vintage mash-ups, sometimes swaying too retro. Gabier and Peters contained their throw-back inclinations in understandable shapes that, in many cases qualified as classic, if not totally modern. Ribbed sweaters came in marled pink, a denim dress had a built-in bustier and side buttons, and an ultrasoft rabbit-fur coat was cut short, boxy and neat. They were clearly heeding the call of the commercial and as designers should, especially during the pre-seasons. Still, the most potent look in the lineup was true to the refined, but not contrived, eccentricity that put Creatures of the Wind on the map: a jacquard vest and matching skirt in an animal pattern worn with a color-coordinated sweater.