New York Fashion Week: Creatures of Comfort’s arty inspiration
Reporting from New York — If you live in New York or Los Angeles, you may be familiar with the Creatures of Comfort stores, sanctuaries of cerebral, minimalist fashion that stock such brands as A.P.C., Rachel Comey and Acne Studios.
The retailer behind them (L.A.’s is on Melrose Avenue) is Jade Lai, who also designs the in-house Creatures of Comfort label. Lai showed her spring collection at New York Fashion Week on Thursday.
The inspiration: Artist Agnes Martin, known for abstract paintings with subtle washed pastel bands or grids of color. Martin spent part of her early career in New York, but is most often associated with Taos, N.M., where she lived and worked on and off until she died in 2004.
“It was her landscape paintings, and the color palette of her art, but also her as a woman who abandoned city life,” explained Lai. “What would you be wearing if you were that person today?”
The look: Loose layers in earthy hues of moss, maize, khaki and red.
The scene: Lots of simple chic in the seats -- for example, the front-row guest who was carrying a quaint fishing basket as a handbag.
Key pieces: Madras sleeveless shirt dress; high-waist, Hepburn-style pants worn with utility pouch belts; linen duster coat and shorts in cactus flora print; fringy cream sweater; knit tube skirt and raglan top; flat slide sandals or Converse sneakers.
The verdict: Simple but stylish -- the kind of effortlessness all women crave but so few can achieve.
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