Liisa Kessler, Filippa K’s new creative director, has been working to restore the brand to its roots in sensual, practical, well-made clothes and wants to offer up a fresh idea of what Scandinavian style can be.
“We’re asking ourselves what Scandinavian style means today, and the answer is effortless clothing that isn’t overdesigned. It’s also about intimacy, how the garments feel on the body, and timeless, sustainable, ‘real’ products for every day,” she told WWD in an interview last year.
For fall, she delivered just that, sending out a lineup of fluid suits with broad-shouldered jackets and wide-leg trousers; draped, belted coats, and sexy knits.
The designer, who worked previously at Chloé under Clare Waight Keller and with Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent, drew inspiration from an unconventional source: a photography book from the ’90s showcasing generic office spaces in places like Stockholm, Tokyo and New York.
She was inspired by the palette of cognac, camel, burgundy and dark blue, and the textures of curtains, carpets and tablecloths. Although that might not sound promising, the result was a classic, elegant collection.
She sent out roomy suits — in chalk stripes, solids, or salt-and-pepper Donegal tweed — and sometimes paired those roomy jackets with washed-out black jeans or trousers with split hems. Coats had similar laid-back attitude, although the shoulders were rounder and softer.
The knits were terrific, and included saucy, off-the-shoulder designs that Kessler paired with long, button-front skirts, or silky, stretchy styles. There was even a 1920s-style dress in that liquid, stretchy and sustainable fabric.
There were layering pieces galore, including a sleeveless turtleneck and a hoodie worn under a fuzzy rounded coat.
A long belted, ribbed knit dress radiated warmth, as did a lineup of beefy pullovers and skinny argyle cardigans in the muted colors of those retro offices. Once they left the glaring light of the office, those colors, textures and shapes took on a whole new life.
