She makes It statements – distressed denim, bell sleeves and hoodies – for women, not street kids.
She makes It statements – distressed denim, bell sleeves and hoodies – for women, not street kids.
The first collection of any designer can be a dealbreaker. This S/S ’17, we saw a few firsts: Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino (not Elle Fanning-romantic but still on the mark); Maria Grazia Chiuri at Christian Dior (feminine, practical); Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent (sexy glam); and Bouchra Jarrar at Lanvin (a French version of Ralph Lauren).
New Zealander Marilyn is not up there with the top dogs but her debut, Cruise ’17, didn’t go unnoticed by Lisa Aiken, retail fashion director at Net-a-porter. It covered the fashion-forward – a roomy trenchcoat (as opposed to oversized), deconstructed denim with raw edges (as opposed to slashed-to-death jeans), the romantic blouse, off-the-shoulder dresses and sportswear – in a feminine way, as opposed to edgy. “Finding a designer who can deliver beautifully edited, must-have pieces for their first collection is a very rare occurrence,” says Aiken. We agree. – JE
