Going into the fall season, Greta Constantine designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong landed on three central ideas: modesty, volume and carbon footprint. During a recent trip to Dubai, the designers were “mesmerized how these [Emirate] women were made up and wearing their burkas — their clothing, just the way they are — they weren’t even trying to be modest. It was just their lifestyle and we thought, ‘We don’t have to show too much skin to be sexy,’” Pickersgill reminisced. “That trip did leave lasting impressions,” Wong added.
While past seasons included slinky, leggy silhouettes, the duo played with proportions and layering for fall. Great long-sleeve sequined bodysuits and turtlenecks were layered under, well, everything. With gray boiled wool separates or dresses, the looks fell flat, but when piled under varying voluminous silhouettes — a high-neck tulle jacket, liquid Lurex dresses with sizable poet’s sleeves or brocade puffed-outerwear — the concept soared. The strongest look included a silver lame floor-length gown with puffed shoulders atop an all black long-sleeve sequined turtleneck. “Completely covered up but out there, still the center of attention,” Wong expressed.
Dipping their toes into reducing their carbon footprint, the duo decided to dig into their archives, or rather under their design table, and reuse prior seasons’ fabrics instead of finding completely new ones. “Sustainability in its own way,” Pickersgill quipped. Some worked — previously mentioned liquid lurex and all of the sequins (especially a hand-painted T) — but others didn’t — a few tweeds and velvets.
Greta Constantine RTW Fall 2019
11 Photos