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the best thing about resort collection, like i've said before, is that they're all about the practicality. Plum Sykes' article about season-less fashion said that more department stores are stocking resort and pre-fall collections full time because they are practical, classic and ready to buy - resort collections pop into stores almost immediately after they show, meaning that you can buy a bikini or a cute little kaftan for that sojourn to the hamptons straight off the rack. One of the frustrating things about shopping today is that often you can be knee deep in knee high boots in the middle of summer, or struggling to find a winter coat when the temperatures have dropped. For example right now, the summer collections from the international labels are all through the stores and you won't find a pair of gloves in sight. Resort and pre fall are the solutions to these problems. For those labels with the money to support the extra lines and shows they represent a means to make some serious money - and fast. Simple, classic design that touches on the labels characteristic silhouettes and hints at the fall collections to come. That is the bottom line of a resort collection.
Thakoon is one of those designers that you can't help but love. He is a beguiling cinderella story - plucked from obscurity by none other than Vogue itself and arguably one of the most talented young American designers working today - whose clothes are sharp as a tack and colourful in a non-confronting way. Colour for the women who normally wear black helmut lang suits. His recent Resort collection was inspired by a Parisian in Africa, blending that easy luxe look of the french with the vibrancy of african dress. The clompy sensible sandals are the perfect counterpoint to all the elegance that floats above. There is a beautiful sense of balance to the collection - white 'out of africa linen pared back by buttery soft leather or stiff khaki calico underneath a bright antik batik print. We all love parisians, and we all love africa, so why not put the two together? It's not a new idea, certainly, but it is one that works in that elegant eclectic way that Vogue loves, and one that is sure to fly off shelves. If only Thakoon was stocked with some regularity in Sydney!
The other thing about resort is that not all labels can afford to stage lavish shows in St Tropez like Lagerfeld and co. That is why the lookbook presentations for resort tend to be more creative than merely static poses against a white background. Thakoon gives the clothes a bit of life by changing up the positions and even shooting a little off-centre - exposing the edge of the white sheet to show the reality of a look book photoshoot, orange tape, metal poles, sandbags and all. It's a nice example of that balance inherent in Thakoon's work - the gritty reality of a photoshoot contrasted against the clothes, where you can wear all white all day and everything will be fine and a woman can run around the sunburnt city with hot pink tips in her hair and a basket of yellow flowers.
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