Even the residents of Vienna, known for their sang froid and clean living, were subject to this summer’s apocalyptic heatwave. In response, Peter Petrov, who is based there, created a spring collection in which lightness was the ideal. “The volume or the distance, how the fabric moves around the body is quite interesting and inspiring,” said the designer, He used kimono-like cuts and wrapping to free the wearer from constraint. Long, loose, streamers that wafted behind added to the sense of fluidity of many looks.
“You just put it on like a T-shirt,” said Petrov of a swingy soft yellow dress, one of the most feminine pieces in the collection. Always drawn to the clean lines of the ’90s, a languorous jersey polo was paired with a long, thin straight skirt made using a heavy silk blend. Balancing this sense of things soft and “undone” were leather pieces, like a raw-edged bonded blazer—terrific with jeans—and a major, sweeping trench. They registered as must-haves but departed from the heat-buster aspect of the offering.
The his-her mix is something this brand excels at, as was evident in Petrov’s take on a tuxedo shirt, based on one his friend wore, and his luxury tees. The designer unexpectedly styled a linen cashmere silk top with whisker-thin stripes over a long sleeved version made of linen cashmere silk: a skater’s uniform, made soft and in quiet, muted tones. The lookbook conveys a sense of centered calmness as welcome as a temperature-controlled environment. “I feel that in our life there is constant destruction,” said Petrov, who wanted to capture “women in a more quiet moment,” and “to reflect a quiet feeling about her being at one with herself.”
