The Tamesis
Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø are starting a new chapter after a great year as they were finalists for the LVMH Prize and changed their brand name (from All-In to August Barron). Their new series, Bedtime Stories, celebrates the art of letting go, casually and joyfully. “We had an idea to go through our archives and throw all the clothes in the air and let them fall and explode in slow motion,” Barron explained. “That got us thinking about it. Alice in Wonderland“.
So the designers indulged themselves in the rabbit hall of their own construction. The result is a teenage world of wonder, perfection, vulnerability, and celebration. Contrary to the real world, fairy dust and confetti fall from the sky instead of bombs. The vibe, says Vestbø, is “coliseum dance meets 1970s princess.”
The starting point is spring’s delicious candy three-tiered ball gown skirt. In autumn, such skirts are paired with AB-treated polo shirts; they are cut slightly oversized, fall to one side and are tied in a bow. Ball gowns with tulle skirts had a vest, and there were skirts made with ribbons that looked like they were taken from the top of a box and slipped directly onto the body. The zip-front top features puffy, snow-white sleeves. Unicorn jumping on Fair Isle marshmallow pink sweater.
Barron explained that he and Vestbo were interested in “feminizing traditionally masculine clothing,” which explains why there was such a narrow, almost shrunken-looking pale blue gown paired with another polo shirt, this one with a built-in tulle corset. The prom queen’s counterpart was a romantic jock who wore a large-shouldered football jersey with confetti embroidery. Featuring a gold fabric corsage, side stripes and joggers, a belt and heels fit for a Disney princess, this dressy jersey deserves its own velvet display mat. (The brand’s popular flat boots will be available in an elasticated version in the fall.)
Vintage stuffed animals sourced online were “suspended” from dreamy dresses, perhaps as a reminder of the ephemerality of youth. Vestbø sees “a continuation of the idea of freezing the perfect moment” in the collection, noting that fall’s lineup is “maybe not as wrong as usual.” Indeed, the awkwardness here is more in line with the teenage theme, rather than an “impolite” feeling. That’s what makes this series feel so right. In an age of ugliness, August Barron invites us to wander briefly into a world of magic and encourages us to suspend disbelief; to think not of the decline of Western civilization but of beautiful imagination and wonder.
