Maria McManus waded into the abstract waters of artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham for pre-fall, specifically a little known work by the St. Ives Society member, “Sea and Boat” (1988).
A wash of eau de nil and murky amber tones with scribbles of navy ink, the piece directly informed McManus’ palette, while its composition, depicting a shadowy speck of a sailor amid a torrent of ocean, reaffirmed her slow-fashion POV in more interesting ways.
To reference another notable painter, “Sea and Boat” is what Cher Horowitz in “Clueless” might describe as “a full-on Monet,” requiring close examination to make sense of the bigger picture. For McManus, whose pursuit of eco-consciousness is constant, the idea translated to artful layers that can only be appreciated as a whole once each care tag is examined with similar tact. Roughly 90 percent of this collection met her standards, she said during a preview, including a camel trenchcoat in 100 percent organic cotton with black facing and biodegradable urea buttons. Plunging slips with a sateen-like hand in Naia Renew, a proprietary closed loop fabric derived from 60 percent wood pulp and 40 percent recycled waste, were another point of satisfaction for the designer, who pointed out that their corded lace trims were French government-certified Dentelle de Calais-Caudry.
Elsewhere, narrative elements of “Sea & Boat” came by way of recycled cashmere twinsets in mariner stripes and fisherman cables in Irish crochet, an homage to grandma McManus’ table linens.
New for McManus was the use of corduroy, which she worked into trim pencil skirts with exposed zippers and cropped barn jackets. She said her suppliers could only offer it as a less sustainable blend until now, further proof of small wins with impact.
Asked about the remaining 10 percent of this collection that’s still causing her displeasure, McManus made an example of a fuzzy nylon cardigan. “We’re working on a version that’s viscose,” she hinted, noting this one will be able to decompose fully. “We’re hoping to have it ready for the fall.”
