story by Sarah Patterson
photos provided by the designer
There’s something very exciting and also undeniably economical sounding about “convertible clothing.” It’s also playfully futuristic in tone and usually Asian modern in appearance. Last season, Karolina Zmarlak presented a highly functional and dynamic collection of convertible pieces, which received a good deal of positive press for its wearable nature and subtle elegance. This season, her convertible concepts have evolved to more intricate layering, richer fabrics and paired separates.
To begin with, almost all of the pieces in the collection were reversible. The fabrics were a mix of luxurious silk cottons and taffeta, with interesting touches of fabrics such as black eel skin. There were a few pieces, such as a white chiffon convertible top, that were very reminiscent of last season’s collection in the flowy shapes and crinkled texture. Many pieces had exotic details, such as exaggerated bows or elegantly opened back slits. There was also a lovely and colorful floral print on two of the pieces, which had similarities with both Kimonos as well as Korean wedding dresses. Overall, the collection was tremendously practical, perhaps even more so than Zmarlak’s past collections, and extremely beautiful.
