story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
Some designers’ creations fall neatly into the hands of certain verbs and adjectives. The fact that describing their work comes easily usually indicates that they are creating clothing that while uniquely theirs and of a high quality has in a general way been seen before. There is an existing set of descriptors that will allow a writer or reporter to pass on the experience of the garments and of the collection. However, every once in a great while a designer makes the terms of the past fail in the present. Araks Yeramyan is very much one of those designers. Her clothing is not only stubbornly different from anyone else, but it is so in a way that is eludes description. Her Araks Spring 2011 collection was inspired by Dutch dress of the 20th century, and on a few of the pieces the rustic feel could be felt emanating from some of the design details. An homage to a wholesome simpler time this was not though, as the models’ breasts were plainly visible on several of the garments and bras were seen through others. That contrast right there is a part of Ms. Yeramyan’s aesthetic; for example, her love of early 20th Century shirt collars which make appearances in many of her collections appearing on a shirt so sheer you can see everything. The saying is that “the devil is in the details,” but in fashion that’s often where the designer is, where the signature is penned.
There is an almost subversive nature to Ms. Yeramyan’s designs in this collection and that is part of the allure. You could see it most blatantly in the way her models were styled. Her clothing made them look demure, reserved, almost restrained, yet stopping short of tipping over into severity. But her fabric choices tended to be so light and airy, with so much short movement that the outfits appeared weightless. Formal yet ethereal, tell me the last time you saw those two describing a single object. There is great power in her constructed contrasts and that’s at the heart of her work. If Araks Yeramyan has a consistent theme in her aesthetic it would have to be revelation. She plays with transparency, she plays with cut outs and sheer patterned fabrics and prints. It’s that element and the even further contrast it creates with her full cuts that make her work so intriguing. She, if such a thing is possible, button down provocative.
Some of the highlights from this season were a suit jacket and short combo in a magical sapphire blue. A black mesh top paired with a long cornflower blue semi-transparent skirt with a full slip in the same material as the top. And a lovely sheer collared dress which seemed to be able to be several shades of indigo at the same time, neat trick that.
Araks Yeramyan definitely has a design sensibility that runs outside of the run of the mill. It’s no surprise really that she tends to confuse some of the fashion press now and again. In the end though…buyers matter more than press (shhhhhhhhh, don’t tell anyone I just said that). And with a solid career under her belt already, and international distribution, she obviously knows what she’s doing. Her clothes feel fresh and are naturally different than the monolith that is modern commercial fashion. It’s reinvigorating to know that can still equal success in today’s knock-off happy, same as, retro inspired, homogeneity gone mad, mad, mad world.
