The Tamesis
If Christopher Esber’s fall collection read about cars, it’s for good reason: After rewatching David Cronenberg’s “Crash,” he decided to transform upholstered materials, curved metals, padded surfaces, buckles, seat belts, and more into sartorial expressions. Speaking on Zoom, the designer said his idea was not to pursue hypersexuality but rather the “quiet impact” that can occur in the relationship between skin and surface, softness and structure.
“Looking at technology and the body, from airbags and seat belts inside cars, and how we feel protected and surrounded by them, kind of like a womb, is something we’ve never explored before,” Esper said. It also opened up a highway of possibilities for textures and finishes, particularly suited to the 1970s.
Esber isn’t the only designer launching mechanical engineering for the fall, but his collection is the most convincing. For example, diamond perforations on a leather skirt, or vintage plaid lining on a seasonal casual bomber jacket. Another bomber jacket in laminated leather has a rounded shape and is entirely outlined by a zipper and technical nylon lining that can be unzipped and worn separately. Although very technical in execution, it feels simple. A sculptural blazer also looks stylish. The back of the cocoon-shaped cream sweater is made of air-filled nylon.
He notes that starting with the chassis, it didn’t take Esper long to come up with the idea of springs and coils, both of which are mechanical and found in nature. Spiral patterns appeared on black lace; he also used them to build negative space, projecting conch-like whorls on the shoulders and hips of a white knit dress.
Esper worked with a mostly black palette so he could focus more on the treatment and texture of the fabric, he said. Dramatic treatments included faux-fur cashmere knits on round jackets, herringbone faux fur coats, and a feathery effect in shredded silk georgette on trench coats. Fringe in traditional furniture gets a modern twist on evening wear, or returns in a voluminous form on a light mint evening gown. Racing stripes, also in silk georgette, are individually treated and assembled with pique stitching on simple tunics and bags. They “look like an open road,” Esper said. Regardless of the destination, Esper’s lineup appears ready to shift into high gear.
