New York - RTW AW13 - Helmut Lang

City: New York
Season: Ready-To-Wear, Autumn/Winter 2013
Show: Helmut Lang

As much as I love when a designer steps out of his or her comfort zone - or when a designer seems not to have a comfort zone at all, as in Marc Jacobs or Miuccia Prada - there is a lot to be said for knowing your strengths and sticking to them. Likewise, after a Spring/Summer 2013 collection that, in the words of Style.com reporter Nicole Phelps, ‘felt somewhat derivative,’ Helmut Lang’s Michael and Nicole Colovos chose to showcase their strengths for Autumn/Winter 2013, with great results. Now don’t get me wrong, I hardly disliked the label’s zesty Spring/Summer 2013 collection, but when I think of Helmut Lang I invariably imagine sleek blazers and stovepipe pants, mostly in monochrome. Autumn/Winter 2013 delivered on all counts, albeit with a few surprises - observe the printed pantsuits on Meghan Collison (centre left) and Patrycja Gardygajlo (centre right). Perhaps too busy for some, but still in keeping with the Helmut Lang aesthetic. Fabric-wise there was experimentation aplenty, with heat-transferred laser-cut film shapes adorning the jackets worn by Juliana Schurig (top centre) and Belgian street style star Hanne Gaby Odiele (bottom centre). Otherwise the emphasis was on shape rather than decoration, with the husband-and-wife duo’s sharp yet slouchy separates making their presence known throughout. A welcome return to form.

This piece was originally published on alisonlaurabell.tumblr.com in February 2013.