Mona Kowalska cares about structure. She cares about how clothes feel. She has – in the best of ways – no ambitions for her A Détacher line to be a large, mass market label, preferring to stay in control of her own direction and design. ”What about a small, well-run company? Is that such a terrible thing?” she told New York magazine in 2005. Kowalska’s A Détacher Fall 2014 Ready to Wear collection holds true to that which she has held dear since starting her own line in 1998: form and clear function.
Her fall silhouettes disregard the human form smartly. Structured torsos (capes, sweaters, and jackets) flow into gentle, fluid folds and layers hiding hips and legs. Other than a cheeky lightning bolt print and an electric blue peeking out between deep navy layers, the A Détacher collection stays in a muted palette. A Détacher’s aesthetic is steady, but not staunch. The collection is one that women like Kowalska – no matter how she tries to stay anonymous with a non-eponymous company name – strong, savvy, independent, and with an intelligent sense of humor – will buy and wear confidently.