Ellery – Pre Spring/Summer 2016 Ready-To-Wear

There’s a reason certain muses show up on mood boards over and over again. This season, Kym Ellery became maybe the zillionth designer to seize inspiration from Anita Pallenberg, and her sharp little collection reminded you why: That Pallenberg look is just durably cool. So, so cool. Ellery’s take wasn’t a straight-up homage, however. A ’70s rock-chick vibe was filtered through the designer’s vocabulary of soft tailoring and staple pieces with a sculptural flourish. Ellery also kept things fresh by dipping into one of the lesser-known aspects of the Pallenberg mythos: her interest in the occult. That reference occasioned some of the more intriguing looks here, like the lightweight velvet slipdresses punctuated by metal hardware and worn over the signature Ellery flare, done in printed, semi-sheer georgette. You could also pick up a witchy vibe in the collection’s long, gossamer black dresses, like the body-hugging one in mesh. The standout piece, though, was Ellery’s reinterpreted tailored flare: This time out, she showed them cropped, with a dramatic bell. Worn with a super-fuzzy teddy jacket, the look had the insouciance one associates with Pallenberg. But it was pure Ellery, really.