“Resort and pre-fall are strong selling seasons for Drome, so I always try to focus on seasonless pieces,” said creative director Marianna Rosati. “Since these seasons deliver to stores so early, I want the customer to be able to buy something and potentially wear it right away.” Let’s not forget Drome is a leather-based brand, making the goal of producing seasonless clothing all the more challenging.
Rosati approached warm weather by airing out leathers with perforations, punctuating loose silhouettes and dresses and, at times, weaving leather strips to create breathable little tops. She treats leather like any other malleable fabric, using lightweight and paper thin skins to create dresses with bunched sleeves and twisted knots, culottes, shirting and pants with the appearance of acid wash denim. It’s easy to overlook how difficult translating leather into an approachable, everyday fabric can be given how well she does it.
The designer continued the vein of her fall collection, expanding her textile library to include silks, viscose and knits — oftentimes breaking up leathers with lighter-weight fabrics for a sense of motion. “I push myself to work with the material in new, innovative ways that are interesting yet still wearable. This season, I wanted to convey a sense of lightness and fluidity to emphasize a woman’s femininity, while maintaining the strength of leather as a powerful material.” A bold red dress with matching silk inserts at the skirt was a prime example of balancing casual and chic with an attitude of strength. A punchy neon-striped coordinated set had an edgy, youthful leaning.
Elsewhere, she had fun with the collection, mixing leather, silk and suede on a pastel pink shift dress, and incorporating decorative embellishments like bow ties along shirt sleeves, hardware studding, and fringe trimming for a sense of playful, trend-driven kitsch.