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story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Adrianna Favero
Timo Weiland‘s Spring 2012 was in general a good collection but it had an uncharacteristic feel to it compared to their very sharp presentations of the past two seasons. There were many strong pieces and the team’s growth as designers surely continued, but the collection had a few pieces that felt flat and disconnected from the rest of the collection. An 60’s style baseball jacket and a men’s floral shirt and matching short both felt forced, and a small handful of other pieces lacked the original spark that has vaulted the young designers to their white hot status.
A first runway show in the big tents at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week can be a a dizzying and daunting experience. Firstly, designers generally have to create more looks for a collection than they’ve done in the past. 20 to 25 looks is perfect for a presentation, but too short for a proper runway show. Those additional five to ten looks may seem simple enough, but they can cause a sort of dilution of expression that creates weaker pieces. Second, if you now have the pull and punch in the industry to produce a runway show in the tents, chances are you’ve had some success, have some money from outside sources, and have a large number of new voices whispering in your ear about what you are “supposed to do next.”
What was good, however, was very good. Team Timo’s prints, as always, were tremendous. Their signature bright and often contrasting color palette was vivid and energizing. The clothes were full of the distinctive choices and touches that elevate their team’s work above the ordinary.
One of my favorite traditions at Timo is that their show stoppers are always long extremely unique dresses and this season was no exception. Now that they’re doing runway instead of presentations, these pieces are the closers, which is just perfect. An emerald green mid-waisted maxi dress mixed a tight silk top with a long flowing gauzy accordion pleated bottom for a dramatic and memorable look.
The final bit of loveliness was a dark orange dress in a printed silk with eye catching pink mesh cut outs. A classic example of the label at it’s best. I want to be clear that I feel that the few pieces that felt uninspired are small growing pains for a tremendously talented team of young designers. It happens and is expected and understandable. The house of Timo Weiland is built on a solid foundation and their future is as bright as ever.
