Hear Duro Olowu’s presentation before you see it. Walking up the stairs to the apartment he rented from a friend to show off this season’s clothes, the interior is cluttered with maximalist patterns and prints, perfect for Olow’s own eye for extreme opposition. Laughter could be heard echoing down the hallway. The designer told the story behind each piece, thrilling the assembled crowd of editors. “Sometimes people say, ‘Why do we laugh so much at previews?'” Olow added. “Well, I don’t think it’s fun unless you’re smiling.”
If Olowu’s spring collection had a operative word, it was certainly fun. But while there are plenty of looks to make you smile, the technical rigor behind each piece is no laughing matter. Three tailored opening outfits in fiery sunflower yellow, a trench coat cut just above the calf and a pair of pantsuits, one loose and one cinched, can be mixed and matched It was cleverly constructed to match. The 1920s-inspired coats and a range of separates and fashionable dresses feature a particularly lovely striped print, which Olow likens to the endpapers of a Victorian-era book, patchworked in contrasting colors and biased. They are carefully sewn together along diagonal lines where the vertices intersect. . “I wanted to have that familiarity, but still have that weirdness,” Olow said. “It’s important to make delicate patterns very bold.”
Romantic florals and geometric block prints collided beautifully, and more daring dresses were introduced, including a multi-print bias dress with ruffle trim on the sleeves. The knee-length coat has kick-flared black slubby silk pants that poke out from underneath and dance around the model’s ankles. A boxy duster coat with playful polka dot buttons. And a particularly dazzling jacket is made from a wild combination of gold lamé, chenille and raffia. “I wanted each piece to feel like it was a living, pulsating piece of its own,” Olow said.
But as always, look a little closer, beyond the kaleidoscopic mishmash of florals, polka dots, and wild prints, and every detail is rooted in Olowu’s obsession with practicality. The hoodie he introduced last season was a surprise hit among his art-world-adjacent clientele, and he’s back here wearing only sandals. This supremely elegant take on the bomber jacket, with its precisely cut bell sleeves, is likely to be this season’s best seller, with a sleeveless paneled tuxedo jacket and pants for a dressed-up yet relaxed vibe. was very well received. A sharp gasp escaped from the assembled editors. “It’s about lowering the sound, but increasing the revs,” said the designer. If there’s anyone who can translate that seemingly paradoxical sentiment into beautiful clothes, it’s Olowu.
