In 2020, we’ve lost the contours of our bodies to oversized loungewear, our limbs folded into tracksuits or dressing gowns, our skin covered by soft creases. One designer excited about wearing clothes with a little more cling again is Yana Olenich. ‘I look forward to the time when women will wear fitted jackets, silhouette flattering suits, dresses and skirts,’ says the founder of the eponymous Ukrainian label Olēnich, which launched in 2016.
The slow fashion brand's A/W 2020 collection seamlessly sits between structure and slouch, featuring relaxed suiting, knitwear inspired by retro Seventies shades, and eco-leather dresses and tailoring that riffs on corsetry.
Olēnich A/W 2020
‘I’m fond of suit fabrics and office attire, however, these shapes can have an excessive seriousness which I prefer to dilute with sexuality,’ Olenich says of the pieces in autumn’s offering which reveal flashes of flesh, like pencil skirts with daring slits, blouses with alluring cut-outs and polo neck dresses which are spliced at the stomach. The seductive Seventies androgyny of Bianca Jagger is a recurring inspiration, and tones synonymous with this decade are noted in chocolate brown, periwinkle blue and mustard. ‘I'm amazed how she could wear menswear suits and still look feminine and glamorous,' Olenich adds.
Another influence was the unofficial king of corsetry Jean Paul Gaultier. ‘Inspired by his very dramatic and complex corsets, I tried to soften this silhouette and adapt it to our lifestyle,’ Olenich says of shapes which feature cinching waists or lingerie details, including jackets with a bra overlay or dresses with seductive underwire details. Time to swap out your sweatpants.
INFORMATION
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