There was birdsong, the blinds were drawn so the afternoon light was casting stripes on the gallery floor and the very first word on Thakoon’s show notes was Tahitian. It was nice to be reminded that these are Spring-Summer collections we’re seeing, so focused on cool city wardrobes most shows are that seasons become obsolete bar the heavy outerwear for winter. It was nice to take a trip somewhere hot and humid – other than New York that is. And it was, yes, nice to hear Thakoon describe the collection as 'seeing exotic locations through the eyes of being a tourist'. No postmodern anthropologist explorers here. Nice is a compliment, underused and unappreciated and in a city where everyone is trying to be so achingly cool it hurts them Thakoon has always seemed perfectly happy to do his own thing. And come next summer, I’d like to be wearing his opening look, all the time.
A robe of a dress in the designer’s Tahitian print, falling long and languid on the body and barely held closed by a giant sash, basically the chicest version of ‘I woke up like this and I’ll spend the rest of the day like this’. No fuss, have another cocktail. In fact, the very next look, a polka dot silk pyjama robe over a white micro-pleated mini dress followed in the same direction. Shoulders were cut bare, trousers were cropped and loose and aside from the palm tree prints decoration came in the form of embellishment; blue and hay raffia fringing and a scattering of palettes and seed-pearls here and there. Lest we forget where are, of course, the suiting-grey striped versions were some of the best suggestions for how to look good in the city in the heat you’ll see this week. Even the models’ hair was sleeked back and humidity-proof.
Happy 10th birthday, Thakoon and thanks for the trip!
