“Despite having shot every look book in Jamaica, this was the first time I shot by the sea, which was intentional in the past because I was trying to get away from the touristy [areas]. Obviously it’s part of it, Jamaica’s an island, but I kept musing on this idea of what we call ‘River Mumma,’ which is a mermaid, or very much like a figure of a siren who’s very much nefarious and will destroy you,” Diotima founder and designer Rachel Scott said during a preview of her latest collection. “I very much liked that idea, and I think it’s why I started naturally moving more toward sculptural pieces because they almost act as fins or tails, but not in a linear way.”
Titled “River Mumma,” Scott’s pre-fall collection built upon the building blocks she’s developed since the brand’s inception with plenty of new breadth, a quieter palette and siren-esque mood.
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“Obviously there’s a focus on crochet — there’s quite a lot of that in this collection as both stand-alone garments and mixed with tailoring. I’ve started incorporating it with some fluid dresses as well, which is quite nice,” she explained of the collection’s strong variation of her signature crochet, which are handmade by Jamaican artisans. For instance, as artisanal inserts and shapely accents on cotton shirting, myriad menswear-inspired tailoring and on the neck of her new long-sleeve gowns, or as stand-alone garments, ranging from a more everyday crochet T-shirt with cotton jersey backside or more sculptural starched doily dresses, skirts and tops. Paired with sharp mannish tailoring, demure knits and new mesh-inspired cotton poplin shirting with hand cutwork eyelet, the looks offered a grounded yet aspirational appeal.
As for her core crystal-emblazoned mesh looks, newness came in the form of a black dress with contrasting clear crystals; she also whipped the idea up into new tank top, cropped cardigan and maxiskirt silhouettes. Similarly, she debuted delicate fishnet ensembles with paillette embellishments, like a stellar white tank and gathered skirt with additional pearl accents and baby cotton rib trim. Said fluid look, as well as new ivory knit cotton linen and silk dresses with crystal decorations, played directly into historical photographs of three Jamaican women donning core dresses Scott was inspired by.