After a decade on the New York fashion scene, Derek Lam’s established aesthetic steps up its minimalist-chic game.
Lam’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection is wearable, sturdy, and brilliantly executed. His design technique has firmly modernized American sportswear and brought a sense of restrained finery to the process. Though presented with blunt-cut lines and sloped-shoulder silhouettes, there is a modicum of picnic-time playfulness at work in Lam’s gingham prints. His dresses and tops are cinched by wide belts, giving even the stiffest looks a lovely, feminine silhouette. A printed jersey vest-and-trouser combination allows a peek at a toned tummy, but is still surprisingly sophisticated. Smock-like toppers and shirts are done in heavier denim fabrics, but paired with breezy skirts to balance heavy top proportions.
Derek Lam’s SS14 collection is wearable, sturdy, and brilliantly executed.
He strips back embellishments, save for a raffia fringe that decorates a handful of dresses. The fringe pops up again, this time wrapped around the neck of shoulder-wrapping tops, paired with polished, masculine trousers. Three flowing dresses close the show, the most stunning of which is a sunflower-yellow sleeveless version that ripples and moves with an alluring vibrancy. This collection has muscle. It’s athletic without being aggressive, moody without being maudlin, chic without the effort. For such a vigorously presented minimalist aesthetic, there are dozens of looks that are commercially viable – these clothes look like they’ll last a lifetime. Forget fanfare and over-hyped embellishments; the best looks are often the simplest.
Photos: Courtesy of GoRunway
