Anthony Alvarez sharpened up his collection – and then blurred it around the edges. The designer did appointments in an intimate space with a single model, and put the focus on craft, texture and visual effects, rather than volume.
“It’s a moment of synthesis for Bluemarble. We’ve reduced the edit, focused on a few shapes, like wide trousers, and boxy knitwear. We wanted to do less, but to the fullest, and set a future compass for the brand,” Alvarez said.
He took inspiration from “Vertigo,” not the Hitchcock film, but last year’s exhibition at Fondation Carmignac on the island of Porquerolles, and applied all the dizzying sensations and weird perspectives to his work.
Chunky navy blue sweaters were adorned with mismatched patches of colorful vintage fabric, while the linear ribs on other knits morphed into zigzag patterns at one point – and then returned to normal.
Wide-leg workwear trousers came with hammered stud details, but instead of being round, their shapes were wonky, like droplets of molten metal.
Alvarez adorned his featherweight T-shirts with colorful designs, all of which were developed in house. They including a shadowy image of human with oversized feet and blurry, childlike images of flowers. He added white teardrop appliqués to a lightweight lumberjack shirt, which made it look like it had been caught in the rain.
While the collection may have explored illusion and distortion, the designs made absolute sense. There were workwear jackets with detachable faux-fur collars; roomy, versatile suits with subtle grosgrain details; and a lineup of sand-washed denim with generous proportions for anyone ready to stride ahead, with their feet on the ground.
