The Tamesis
Anna October attributes the clarity of her fall collection in part to distance. The clothes are made far away from her Kiev studio. The designer said that without distractions, she was able to “explore the depth and richness of simple things through detail and perfect fit.”
As always, her starting point is color—and the lack thereof. Like many designers this season, October was first drawn to graphic black. From there, she added intense reds and blues, as well as some dustier cosmetic tones. This palette expresses October’s desire to bring “elegant and sophisticated, not girly and playful” to fall. Off-the-shoulder is a trend that started in early fall and has trickled down into fall, and October believes she’s developed the perfect little black dress with her opening look, an off-the-shoulder silhouette with internal structure to hold the straps in place.
This October silhouettes are for the most part straight and slender. She cleverly showed how to achieve this silhouette through modular pieces, launching a leather-look satin bomber, a simple jacket and a separate bustier; one in a beautiful color block, the other in white with delicate pleats on the side. No Anna October collection is complete without lingerie elements. The bodice’s hooks and eyelets were used as details on the back flap of a taupe coat, while garters hung from the hem of a puffy sweater.
October’s goal is not to be a designer who dresses women from morning to night, but to dress women for unforgettable occasions. The dark brown jacquard dress has a slightly dropped waistline, shaping a slender torso, and a wide skirt perfect for dancing all night long.
