Öhlin/D’s latest collection, presented at a man-made garden installation in the Highline Stages studio — complete with show notes on seed paper that will grow into wildflowers if planted — was a modern and romantic evolution for the notably knit-centric brand. “The inspiration was future neoclassicism, think neoclassical statues appropriated into a woman’s garden in New Jersey,” said creative director Jacob Park at the presentation.
The collection was more cool and wearable than ever, for the girl who wants to feel relaxed but still look chic. Park introduced off-beat denim, such as a supersoft denim-linen blend corset wrap top and hardware-adorned denim on an off-shoulder piece with zipper sleeves, worn atop youthful jeans with front buttons that could be undone up to the waist.
Other iterations of classic shapes included ivy embroidered organic cotton shirting with kimono sleeves and lightweight organic cotton trousers with zipper detail. A lot of the cotton pieces, Park noted, will also be produced in the denim-linen blend. Several lace capsule pieces — a pretty pink slip and lace insets on shirting, for example — provided romance, and the season’s knits came with a soft pastel tinge. While 90 percent of the knitwear is produced in Peru by a women-run factory, this season Park tapped Italian factories to create more constructed pieces, such as a body-hugging asymmetric top with a swirl pattern.