I annoy my other half to no end when I ask silly questions with the mentality of a five year old, expecting no answers but just because I like thinking out loud. "Why is sea foam green called that if it's not in fact the colour of sea foam?" For S/S 12, given that this supposedly perceived shade of "sea foam green" is everywhere, I'm now doubly confused because in my mind, I know that pale bathroom tile shade of green as mint green, which of course isn't the colour of mint. My occupied thoughts go deep as you can see.
However, London label Fanny and Jessy have rectified this colour confusion somehow by edging closer to the physical realities of sea foam with their A/W 12-3 collection Sea Foam In Your Eyes. Wikipedia sea foam and ye shall find the above close-up image of sea foam in a tide pool, which correlates fairly closely with the mish mash of shades, colours and textures going on in this collection. Besides the semantics of colour, the duo have come on leaps and bounds with this collection, moving into the realm of luxurious sportswear with a razor sharp edge and away from their previously goth-laden wares. They've also decided to be more multi-dimensional with their textures resulting in anything from laser cut leather in imitation of aertex squares, pixelated prints on top of texturised denim, micro suede that resembles a faded sofa (that's where all that grey-tinged sea foam green comes in), waxed cottons for the jackets and thick felt wool in all the casual suiting and outerwear. Mexican ribbon inspires the main print of the collection and for the overall palette and print, the duo looked at Henri Rousseau's lush greens and Leif Podhajsky's psychedelic prints.
The shapes and silhouettes are what have surprised me. They've stuck to signatures such as sweatpants and trackie bottoms and whilst they've always had a sportswear leaning, they've definitely honed in on it for this season and have specifically looked at the maligned side of 70s Halston - his luxury sportswear collections that were slightly masculine in their oversized proportions. The extended raglan shoulders and the general bulked out shapes conveniently tie in with Balenciaga's A/W 12-3 collection where the luxe sweatshirt and elasticated waist trouser are similarly key. Fanny and Jessy coincidentally chiming in with Ghesquiere is definitely a direction I would never have imagined for the duo, and luckily for us, their offerings with be far more affordable. Young British Designers currently has the S/S 12 collection. Hopefully we'll see this A/W 12-3 collection popping up somewhere accessible.
