David Koma Fall 2018 Ready-To-Wear....Fashionweekly....On Fashionweekly...On Fow24news.com

The first clue that David Koma had found a new lease on life for Fall 2018 was his choice of venue: a church. A rather beautiful one at that.....
“It’s a new beginning for me; working on this collection was a pure joy,” he enthused postshow while pausing to have his picture taken with supermodels Lara Stone and Jourdan Dunn. Two seasons ago, the Georgian, London-based designer came across the ethnographic photography of 19th-century artist Edward S. Curtis and felt a rush of inspiration. “His images of Native American tribes are so rich and so incredible that they almost look like paintings,” he explained. “I was blown away; I fell in love.”

Koma thought it would be novel to pick up on the intricate folkloric elements in Curtis’s photographs and then combine them with the sharp ’60s silhouettes that have remained a constant in his work. This culmination proved successful and incredibly glamorous (good news for Koma’s disciples). A slither of a minidress was rendered in ponyskin, then punched through with large circular metal studs in the manner of Paco Rabanne circa 1968; vertical-striped knits were partially sliced open, teasing flashes of skin; while fitted sheer lace dresses were contoured with silk fringing and hand-beaded with feather motifs. “Feathers are so poetic and sensual, and I felt they added an extra sense of movement to the garments,” he said.

While this reporter was keen to discuss the impressive, couture-like finish of the line’s party dresses, Koma was excited to highlight the evolution of his outerwear. “We worked so hard on the coats this season,” he said, referring to the butter-soft black leather Perfectos and trenchcoats with shearling panels that appeared at the start of the show. “To me, these pieces are what I have in mind when I envision a strong, modern woman of today,” he said, adding, “I often ask my female friends whether they enjoy wearing my pieces, and when they do, it fills me with happiness.” Praise be.