There’s more than one duality present in the good girl/bad girl Resort collection Zimmermann showed in New York last week. Zimmermann has long had their eyes cast towards the Northern Hemisphere, recently opening flagships in both New York and Los Angeles, and the Resort shows have provided them with a chance to appeal to the best of both markets.
Vogue Australia editor Edwina McCann wrote an article in the Sunday Telegraph over the weekend explaining how Resort gives designers the opportunity to appeal to two markets simultaneously: something that has been a constant source of frustration to Australian designers. Zimmermann was particularly bummed out about the timing of MBFWA, which now sits awkwardly between Resort and Spring.
Resort, in general, is often sneered at, thought of as unnecessary for people whose jobs don’t allow them to skip winter for the South of France and existing only to maintain a designer’s presence on shop floors. But, as McCann points out, Resort serves a different purpose for Australian labels. It’s one of those rare times in fashion where the hemispheres are in synch. The wearable swimwear and wide-legged trousers hit shelves just as rich Northern Hemispherians start wanting a break from the cold and Australians need stuff to wear for summer.
Probably unintentionally, yet rather fittingly, Zimmermann’s Resort 2014 collection was a game of two halves. Designer Nicky Zimmermann was inspired by a good girl corrupted, the monochrome runway split into white and black outfits. The silhouettes, too, were either figure-hugging or long and loose. Perfect for both long weekends in Montauk or lazy nights by Bondi Beach. Not quite sure where you’d wear a French lace one-piece with sculpted wings and risqué sheer panneling, but we’d be more than willing to find an excuse.
Images via Fashionishing
