A browse through Vinted had Marie Adam-Leenaerdt convinced that a skirt could be more than a “garment that cinches the waist and coming down to variable lengths on the legs,” as she put it in her collection notes.
“People just hang them on anything when taking pictures,” she said. “That upends the idea of category because a skirt with a hanger slipped through the waist ends up resembling a dress.”
In her fall collection, the Belgian designer spun the item into an entire wardrobe, turning a cape-top into a pleated number; recasting a long denim version into a column dress, and figuring a skirt pulled so high that a lacy underskirt became a top and tights a sheer mini.
There were even some that could be, wait for it, turned back into skirts, thanks to cunning hidden buttons. The introduction of knitwear as well as a handful of puffer coats rounded out Adam-Leenaerdt’s lineup.
The Belgian designer said she wanted to question the perception of a garment as a single-function item, particularly given the category’s profusion. “Do away with categories,” she said, adding with a laugh, “Good luck knowing where to list those on [e-commerce] sites.”
The show saw a continued appearance of Adam-Leenaerdt’s bags. One new model could be expanded thanks to zips while the largest size took the expression “ridiculously capacious” to a comical degree. They contributed to driving home that Adam-Leenaerdt’s imagination has legs for days.
