Yahoo Finance Act N.1 RTW Spring 2022
Designers Galib Gassanoff and Luca Lin are sticking to their format of theatrical performances to showcase their collections’ tailoring and decadent glamour. For their spring show, a quartet played arias at the center of the show space as the ruffles snaking over sartorial suits delivered a déjà-vu effect — until the last three models strutted down the catwalk. They appeared on stage wearing gowns with petticoats equipped with rollers, borrowed from 18th-century dames, opened the cages and under layers of tulle revealed languid column black dresses. It was a sensational finale.
The look: The duo continued to charm with its signature aesthetic in which sartorial rigor was twisted via the snaking tulle ruffles, overskirts and trains attached to everything from suits to floor-length trenchcoats. At times, their signature element felt repetitive and forced while the more experimental couture-like gowns skewed wearability in favor of a wow effect.
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Quote of note: “We were raised immersed in rigid traditions, religious beliefs and guided by a cumbersome heritage since we were kids,” Gassanof said. “Now it’s time for us to overturn things and rethink the past to evolve toward a better future,” echoed Lin.
Key pieces: Fluid silk dresses and denim uniforms heavy on layering, both with a 1990s feel; frocks and tailored suits bearing Toile de Jouy prints and jacquards in a burnished golden nuance; trenchcoats-slash-ballgowns with petticoats that exuded a theatrical feel.
Takeaway: Proving consistent over time is a great achievement for young designers, however, the design duo certainly has the knack for conjuring a new look, similarly daring but more surprising.
Launch Gallery: Act N.1 RTW Spring 2022
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