Living Color:
From Soft Hues to Bold Prints
Photographed by Thomas Lohr
Draped and wrapped pastels. Crisp stripes relaxed by ruffles. Tie-dyed layers that evoke richly colored ceramics of the Basque country. Spring’s palette is limited only by your imagination. Designers such as Jonathan Anderson and Joseph Altuzarra embraced hues ranging from soft to saturated this season, and expressed them in pieces both graceful and alluring. Look beyond trusty neutrals to consider the full spectrum of possibilities.
Entitled “a woman’s odyssey,” the spring J.W. Anderson collection furthers the designer’s ceaseless quest for the cutting edge. Turn up the contrast—and the volume—in silhouettes that reference eras past without a hint of nostalgia. The unlikely meeting of ruffles and stripes plays out in separates like a graphic skirt that ends with a flourish. Balance the sleek, striking fit with Lemaire’s relaxed boatneck top in cherry red cotton.
When I look back at things I’m into today, I always think it’s things between [ages] eight and fifteen that influence you the most. Color—I think you learn color when you’re a child.Jonathan Anderson
- Altuzarra Chika Shirt and Glaze Dress
The vivid waves of color that streaked across the spring Altuzarra runway were rooted in the traditional handicrafts of northern Spain. The designer, whose father is French-Basque, grounded the layered jewel tones of lacquered ceramics with earthy shots of terracotta and “materials which are close to nature,” including cotton, canvas, and unbleached linen: a rustic choice that reappears in the braided jute toggle closures of dresses and skirts.
Complete the look with his reimagined espadrille, in which a chunky wedge is replaced with a tonal stiletto heel. “Ultimately I’m attached to a way that I see women,” Altuzarra has said. “I’m very attached to the attitude of this woman, she’s sensual and comfortable in herself, she’s doing it for herself. She's a woman, not a girl.”
Styling Vanessa Traina
Hair Tomo Jidai at Streeters
Makeup Stevie Huynh at Bryant Artists
Model Pooja Mor
Explore a recent footnote in The Stories:
Land Art on Film: A Conversation with James Crump
