Every season, at least one young designer matures as the aesthetic of their newest collection is a refreshing surprise. The team who held true to this seasonal switch up was UK-based label Ostwald Helgason who premiered at Milk Studios’ Made Fashion Week.

Known for playful prints that simultaneously border whimsy and irreverence, the design duo/happily married couple shocked spectators with a tempered collection. “Revist,” as it was named, drew inspiration from Susanne Ostwald’s secluded time behind the wall in East Germany. Describing the time as an experience of scarcity and intense longing for beauty, the designers’ program also noted the importance of re-creation from scratch in times of loss or absence. Translated to the clothes, the looks would take pride in the handmade and scale the wall between fantasy and utility.

With the opening melody of a string quartet, a refined and minimalistic appearance took the runway. White, grey, and beige pieces were complemented by way of a simple X detail in Velcro, an intersecting pattern cutout trim, or a hand-crocheted epaulet.

With the drop of a beat came the pop of a print. Polished with modern precision, a folkloric pattern on crisp coats and jackets donned the now signature X velcro or epaulet detail to take utility into the imaginative world of make-believe. Oversized pastel pockets almost too small for the creative masterminds posed yet another paradox as they sat color-blocked on crisp button-ups. Midi-skirts galore marched in cargo beige next to orange belts while subtle blues powdered knee-cut shorts in military green.

Printed organza played a colorful cameo role for mid-collection looks while the label’s hand-drawn logo dazzled in a metallic sheen. DIY craftwork was then intricately executed in three-dimensional crocheted floral motifs reminiscent of ‘70s flower power. Lining dropped-waist dresses or speckling printed chiffon shifts, the crocheted florals gave a glimpse of Ostwald Helgason passed with a surplus of details that clashed and worked.

The final look married all elements in perfect elegance with a full beige skirt in dreamy silk and two delicate floral motifs blooming from each collar of a matching polo. The finishing touch was a spring slip sandal paired with socks for the ultimate mixture of ease and elegance. The designing duo couldn’t be more prepared for a perfect spring.

Email David Bologna at [email protected].