Do not be fooled by the lookbook images for Partow’s pre-fall collection. Though they present a tightly edited offering of clothes that could easily be construed as “wardrobe basics,” in real life they are, without a doubt, stars of the show. Nellie Partow’s love for unusual textiles has brought forth a paper-based fabric, with a ripstop nylon-like feel and a tonal weave that appropriately resembles graph paper. She used it on an airy trench coat made for warm summer days, with an open construction around the shoulders (imagine a poncho worn over a sleeveless vest and you kind of get the idea). Cinched at the waist, the bottom half seems to be perpetually in motion with its own gentle summer breeze. In black especially, it would make a fine choice for a formal night out.
Save for the raw Japanese denim in a brilliant shade of indigo, the collection has an exclusively neutral color palette. Partow has traded the impact of color for volume, but it is a light, sensual volume that hints at the body underneath and also claims the space around it; trousers are shaped like horseshoes, and dresses gently shape in at the waist and out at the hips. A cropped jacket and groovy little mod zip dress in softer-than-soft black leather rounded out the collection. “Honestly, every collection is inspired by levity and freedom,” she said.
