“Against Fragility,” read the invitation to Izumi Ogino’s Anteprima show. The designer channeled the rebellious spirit of Fifties-era London Teddy Girls for her spring collection, which blended slipdresses and skirts with items borrowed from men’s closets.
Crop-haired model Kris Gottschalk set the tone, opening the show in a fluid black dress set off with white piping, worn under a black leather bomber jacket printed with blue polka dots. The pattern was a recurring theme, appearing as a print on separates or as larger circles woven into a filmy black knit dress or cardigan coat.
Quiffs and silver hoop earrings gave the models a tough-girl attitude, but the skirts here far outnumbered pants. They came either slim and fluted or in a Fifties-style circle cut, often paired with elongated polo shirts or variations on varsity jackets and sweaters, adorned with the letter A.
“A is for the alpha female — femininity as strength, and never a weakness,” explained the show notes. These outfits weren’t for powerful women seeking to broadcast their status, but rather for that stealthy girl who is the leader of the pack.