stenberg has taken a backseat at her namesake label and Scottish-designer Jonathan Saunders has graduated to Chief Creative Officer; the quintessentially American brand has had a stealth makeover.
Saunders pays dues to the label’s iconic wrap dresses and 1970s school of glamour, but his imprint is undeniably pushing the brand in a new direction. And, this was never more apparent than at the Spring Summer 2017 show in New York this week.
Rather than banking on nostalgia, Saunders uses a currency of every-day luxury to push DVF’s envelope. For instance, separates in rich jewel tones and flamboyant that carry a wanderlust sensibility add a lushness to the asymmetric dresses that flounced down the runway. There were textiles that looked like they’d fallen out of Penny Lane’s trousseau.Vintage-lovers will lap up the lashings of references to Barbara Hulanicki’s Biba.
Print and colour clashing comes naturally to Saunders, and this was evident in the confidence of this collection. Audacious combinations seemed like they could walk off the runway and into a real life setting when paired with the chunky sandals and slicked back hair his models walked out with.
