Rachel Mansur and Floriana Gavriel unveiled their ready-to-wear collection, a see-now-buy-now fall lineup at their SoHo store. Much like their extremely popular bags and shoes, the clothes were a statement on the simplicity of form and the power of color. They fleshed out the label’s purist nerdy-pretty aesthetic with a lineup that was more of a category launch than a full collection. The key items were coats and classic knits delivered mostly in monochromatic looks in soft gray and camel, then powder pink, red, canary yellow and robin’s egg blue.
Aside from a puffer or two, the coats were ultrasimple, sparely cut tailored shapes with meticulously placed round buttons. Collars were spread and some of the bodies bore a slight cocoon shape, but all seemed inspired by the Jil Sander school of thought. There were also classic crewneck sweaters and oversized cableknits.
The designers’ articulation of the collection was as concise and direct as the silhouettes. “We are very concept-based and inspired by shape, color and material,” said Mansur. “We work until we find the perfect form, and then spend a lot of time sourcing beautiful materials,” said Gavriel. Everything is made in Italy, with coats available in cashmere, cashmere blend, wool and camel. Knits are done in cashmere, merino wool, cashmere blend and mohair.
As market-worthy fashion concepts go, keeping things narrow is a smart bet. Outerwear and knits are blue-chip categories, and Mansur and Gavriel’s keen eye for color and shape has done wonders for their shoes and bags. Let’s see if it works for sweaters and coats.