story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Stephen Bodi
Certain things are a given in an A Détacher collection. You will see things you have never seen before. You will, if you are paying close attention, and you should be, see construction and detailing you have never seen before. And you will likely be temporarily removed from your seat and taken to wherever designer Mona Kowalska’s mind happened to be when she created the collection.
For Fall 2013 her mind was on, “travel and camouflage”. Fear not though, there were zero military prints. There was plenty of innovative construction in the collar and sleeve area with “flaps,” as in movable surfaces on a wing, that fluttered and flowed as the models strode the Pier 59 runway. There were her beloved jumpers, clever and lovely shoes, and wonderful knits. There were also eye-catching bold stripes and a marvelous global print that was on the closing looks. A Détacher has a very loyal and growing following, and this season I felt that I discerned why. Mona Kowalska has figured out that for a growing number of women there is a desire to be casual, comfortable, and sexy at the same time. A Detacher’s clothes capture that perfectly. It’s sexy full of smart, and what modern woman doesn’t want to travel there?
