The Tamesis
Daniella Kallmeyer is aware of the stigma attached to the word minimalism. A quarter of a century has passed since the aesthetic revolution, but it is currently oversaturated. As a designer who is known for this, how do you re-forge your own path? The geometric architecture of the Art Deco movement is a great place to start.
Karl Mayer imagined her woman in a luxurious Art Deco apartment. The designer thought a Peter Marino-designed home by Giorgio Armani would do the trick, too. These inspirations come through in subtle techniques, such as hand-dyed bugle beads that create plaid embroidery on pants and hem-style dresses. See also: A pair of pleated pants with diagonal seams at the knees, like the angular tiles on the Rockefeller Center building, twists expectations.
The designers also spent time thinking about the permanence of family heirlooms. Her love for collecting knick-knacks began as a child during summer visits to her grandmother. “I’ve started to collect quite an extensive collection of vintage bags and costume jewelry,” she said. “No brand name in sight.” It doesn’t look brandy, but quirkiness can also be a form of minimalism.
Although her grandmother died at the beginning of Kallmeyer’s career, her magpieism as a collector influenced the decorativeism we see today. “These are now a pair of heirloom pieces that I made out of clothes I had previously made for her,” she said. Previous seasons have featured text through fringe, and the fall collection continued that strategy. On one skirt, she sewed terry tweed onto organza to create a languid look. Likewise, she developed her own faux shearling textiles made entirely from virgin wool—which she says was added in time for the CFDA’s fur ban.
Despite their rich backstories, the differences are subtle and realistically retain the minimalist feel currently in vogue, although it makes pieces like the mid-century gilded jacquard jacket more eye-catching. Karl Mayer should follow her foraging instincts and let her ancient sensibilities shine through.
