Dauphinette was founded in 2018 as “The Happiest Brand on Earth” and longtime followers will remember the pressed flowers and bright prints that marked early collections. While bright colorways and a tendency toward the whimsical were still an important mainstay of this collection, the brand marked a departure from the light and airy, to the deep and exploratory.
“I’m a practicing vegetarian in a ferociously carnal state of mind,” Cheng detailed in show notes. In a world that is certainly far from flowery and light, Dauphinette is answering audiences’ yearning for work that is rawly original, and which communicates daring assertions on how life can be lived.
Upcycling was the unspoken extra guest in the room, with a list of upcycled materials that reads like a menagerie itself, including lambskin leather, cow leather, goat fur, shark teeth, and coque feathers alongside use of reclaimed materials such as wool, cashmere, mohair, and kimono silks.
A standout look was a dress composed completely of neck ties, while a kindred dress was draped in a meadow’s worth of vintage millinery flowers and glass beads. A few handbags were created from vintage volleyballs and basketballs – an ode to “The Happiest Brand’s” more playful origins, perhaps.
Hosted at the historic landmark of St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, the show presented the latest in a long legacy of arts activations at the site, from experimental film screenings and avant-garde theater in the '60s, up to today’s weekly organizing around The Poetry Project. As the rat race of the East Village – honking cars, tourist excursions, loud bar music – whirred along outside the church, Dauphinette was building a next-generation animal kingdom in its new offerings, ready to be unleashed into the world.
At any rate, plenty of the pieces had appeal, particularly the knitwear and the skirt-pant combo done in neutral shades and earthy tones, which added a preppy throughline to the brand’s style lexicon. “For the first time ever, we developed an arsenal of knitwear!” exclaimed Dahl, expanding on the usage of materials from 1800 and 1900, which are the very first groundings for anything she studies on a visual scale. Another caveat was the palette. “There’s color, so much color!” she then said, most of which didn’t come as strident as some of her creative counterparts who were present in Berlin. Elsewhere, volume looked particularly good, as did the maxi-shaped fastenings emblazoned across outerwear numbers and oversized toppers.
Dahl’s vision of soft functionality wasn’t authentic, but for the SF10G customer it ought to prove convincing: and at the end of the day, that is the point. There were lots of individually appealing pieces that juxtaposed sports-like crispness with casual tailoring, serving up a “severe nonchalance” to the designer’s lane. “To me, this collection feels like a personal growth,” concluded Dahl. “I always want to go further, and breaking new ground across the realm of functional wear is forever a must.” All in all, though, this made for a fascinating — and perhaps even risk-taking — effort, which was pleasing to see.
For Shui, this collection is about claiming and standing in your power. Even the color palette — deep oxbloods, vibrant greens, and bright cherry reds — evokes intensity, inspired by Kazuo Shiraga Gutai’s paintings.
Signature Shui elements found their way into this collection, including lace detailing and printed mini dresses, but other intentional design choices are specific to the range, like corseted leather jackets and brazen shoulder pads. These symbolize structure and support, bracing the Kim Shui woman for whatever life throws her way — even though she doesn’t need clothing to reinforce that strength, it’s already inside of her.
Backstage offered a closer look into just how fierce every look was, amplified by sultry makeup. Siren eyes were complimented by candy-like shellacked lips and the final accessory touches — futuristic Poppy Lissiman and Akila sunglasses and fingerless gloves — were just the cherry on top of every look.
