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Victoria Bartlett showed a rather interesting spring collection for VPL yesterday at Studio 59 in Chelsea. The former stylist, who has been designing her line for almost a decade now, played to her strengths: namely solid undergarments and distinctive construction.
"I went back in history to before we were here," she told me following the show. "I looked to the birth of our evolution; before we came it was all vertebrates and mollusks."
And Then There Was Us, the aptly titled collection, took on Ms. Bartlett's signature color palette, with beiges and nudes mixed with a spattering of neon pinks and Kelly greens. She also dabbled in vaporized prints. It appeared they had been set on fire, with rings of contrasting tones and pops of black and silver.
At its best, Ms. Bartlett's designs display her technical prowess — her one pieces hugging model body while also offering their own story. Knits were slit from neckline to elbow, offering a peak of something underneath.
However, a number of draped tops and body suits – that sharply contrasted Ms. Bartlett's usual crisp body con designs — felt vapid. Perhaps it was how the girls were done up, with crimped, pulled back hair, and sweat seemingly dripping from brow.
Gill like struts hung from a few of Ms. Bartlett's girls, which she said were inspired by bracket fungi hanging on trees. You won't be seeing these out, even here in New York. But Ms. Bartlett has always been a little more forward thinking than some of her peers.
