Dawid Tomaszewski’s cited references for his latest lineup: Wolfgang Tillmans’ ombré color field photos, the rock group Blondie in the late Seventies and early Eighties, Morocco and the Bauhaus. Add in a lusty dose of red-gold and vivid yellow (including a flock of yellow rooster feathers); encrusted brocades; Swarovski stones; transparent leopard and abstract floral prints; metallic Byzantine patterns; open-work mesh; modified flat Moroccan slippers done every which way; long, narrow oblong scarves; vivid ombré body stockings and open toed tights, and luxed-up Eighties sports styles. Don’t merely mix, but shake vigorously. The result: a collection.
Like his chic atelier and offices in Berlin’s sometimes dodgy Kreuzberg neighborhood, Tomaszewski likes to surround his elegance with a rougher edge. And that’s not just for the runway. He said it’s the “special stuff” — not basic 9-to-5 or after-hours gear — that’s won him 12 new retail clients since January. This bodes well for the ombré pieces, sometimes as simple as a classic trench coat; the tailored Byzantine metallic top and coat; his sporty takes in leather or brocade, and even the sorceress-worthy Swarovski embellished tulle cape gown, slit open in the back to reveal patterned pants underneath. But it’s probably open season on the Big Bird feathered jacket and skirt.