THE BERLIN-BASED brand Ottolinger hosted its autumn-winter 2024 collection show during Paris Fashion Week, exploring the realm of time, womanhood and art.
The collection saw silhouettes of casual daily wear transform into the outlines of sophistication that escort evening attire.
Dismantled and raw, the garments are simultaneously fearless and elegant, with traces of chaos weaving shapes together in the form of suits and cocktail dresses as disorder finds its space in traditionally tailored silhouettes.
Classic forms take on a sense of modernity with unrestrained looks as co-creative directors Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient bring an unruly essence to a contemporary take on evening and formal wear.
Asymmetrical and skewed proportions create perplexity in the observation of the garments, further elevating the collection’s powerful and intriguing stance.
Suits are redefined into off-the-shoulder dresses and co-ords with embellishments of exposed shoulder-pad-like adornments, excess ruched fabric, oddly sewn seams and raw hemlines.
Specific dress silhouettes look as if worn backwards with abstract bows as decorative designs.
Dark grey dress-like shapes accompanied by an underlayer of a blue pinstripe shirt materialise from shapes reminiscent of a suit rear with necklines detached from the shoulder as if torn, while formal trouser-like waistbands reimagine elongated evening gowns.
Fur has been paramount this season; however, Ottolinger gives the fabric a unique structure for their AW24 collection. As it fabricates mixed-matched puffer jackets, baby blue co-ords and glove arm sleeve-like overlays, fur gives its silhouettes an essence of fierceness, boldness and style.
Double-breasted jackets in colours of navy, black and cream give sweatsuit-like trousers a sense of formality and structure, visually merging day into night while boucle-like tweed forms a jacket and mini skirt co-ord with a deconstructed twist of hanging fabrics, unfinished outlines and oddly shaped cut-outs.
Ottolinger cardboard-like shopping carriers serve as handbags alongside structured mini bags with a carved-like shape. Books ornament outfits, while shoes depict an almost foot-cast-like shape as they hug the calf with stretchable fabric. As for the accompanying shoes, black rubber boots, sandals and sneakers are paired with various looks.
by Nicole Pereira