New York Fashion Week

NYFW: Desigual Heads to the Jungle for Spring/Summer 2018

By  | 

Desigual unveiled its Spring/Summer 2018 show at New York Fashion Week.  This was not the typical quirky but charming Desigual show.   This collection for Spring 2018 was Jean-Paul Goude’s first step as Artistic Director of the brand.  Goude was tasked with creating a presentation that would bring both bold novelty and unique appeal to complement Desigual’s trademark point of view, which celebrates optimism and individuality.

Desigual Spring Summer 2018 collection

The eyes have it in this embroidered tunic from the Desigual Spring Summer 2018 collection (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images For Desigual )

According to Desigual:

  “The women’s fashion Spring/Summer 2018 collection was inspired by a voyage through different types of jungles; exotic, psychedelic, and more. It blended cross-cultural references in a panoply of color and creativity, optimism and singularity and non-conformity and vitality: the silhouettes were casual but textured, including everything from raffia to polka-dots, and there was an emphasis on looseness and pattern.”

The Desigual fashion show SS18

The Desigual fashion show during New York Fashion Week  (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images For Desigual )

The very eccentric collection  included color-blocked knit sweaters, interweaving mesh and marine striping..  There were  kimono and pajama volumes cut with fluid fabrics. Jackets—on the shorter side, in leather or denim—were complemented by golden accent jewelry, while bohemian skirts and dresses were treated with odd geometric prints. Tahitian flowers, palm groves and even a Mickey Mouse print were also in the mix.

The Spring/Summer 2018 show also included a 16-piece capsule collection called “Desigual Couture” designed by Jean-Paul Goude himself, which further represented the intersection of his and Desigual’s unique aesthetic approaches. Describing his creative involvement, Goude says he sought to champion: “cultural diversity, street-chic as a democratized form of Couture, festivity, originality, rhythm, and humor—these are the values that not only refer to Desigual’s DNA, but to my own, as well. Let’s say we are on the same wavelength.”

Desigual PJ Style Spring Summer 2018-The Recessionista

Desigual’s distinctive pajama style for Spring Summer 2018 at New York Fashion Week. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images For Desigual )

I have to be honest,  there was very little from either collection that I feel will please Desigual customers.  Personally, I miss the touch of Christian LaCroix.  This collection was just too strange.   I don’t see retailers buying this or selling it.  What do you think readers?

Share

Since 2008, Mary Hall has been the author of The Recessionista Blog, which is read by thousands of regular readers in over 160 countries. An internationally recognized expert on the art of the living the good life for less, she has been a commentator on local, national, and international radio and TV shows. Her advice has been featured in over 2,000 media outlets, including The New York Times, Reuters, Life & Style magazine, ABC News, NBC News and now The Huffington Post, among many others.