Ulla Johnson is one of New York fashion’s finest female colorists, so it’s only natural that she would feel an affinity to the late great artist Lee Krasner, one of the few female painters to be associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement.
On Sunday, Johnson brought Krasner’s work to the runway as prints in her collection, a feat that was two years in the making. “They’ve never worked in any collaborative capacity,” she said of the artist’s foundation. “So it was a real honor to work with three of her pieces…during a time she was using very fiery color.”
Krasner’s energetic pink and green brushstrokes animated several looks, including a silky bias-cut dress and a sleeveless cotton one with a cascading front ruffle, worn over color-soaked pants. (A trend to watch for spring is dresses over pants.)
Letting the Krasner prints shine, the rest of the collection focused on solids, with versatile cargo vests, skirts and other utility pieces enlivened with hand-embroidered flower sequin embellishments, contrasted with diaphanous chiffons and lacy lingerie slips.
The other big news was Johnson’s official launch of menswear, which played out in oversized T-shirts in vivid hues or edged in lace, embellished chiffon or Krasner print shirts, cargo pants and creased denim.
“Women get put in menswear all the time,” the designer observed, noting that she flipped the script. “These were not looks that were cut for men, they were part of our [women’s] ready-to-wear. But then the men came in and looked incredible and it felt so natural. This false binary between menswear and womenswear seems quite outdated.”
The designer said she plans to carve out space in her stores for the category. “We have so many men in our orbit that love color and prints…it’s exciting for me to dress them.”
