Never say never, particularly when you’re a designer, Anna October declared in her Paris showroom.
For years, she was adamant that knitwear was not for her eponymous brand. “But then I found this texture and I’m obsessed,” said the Ukrainian designer, holding up a white long-sleeve knit bodysuit in an eyelet pattern reminiscent of kids’ stockings, her first entry into the category.
Elsewhere, she continued to mine her lingerie-dressing repertoire, playing with draped panels on dresses to look like they’d slipped off to reveal satin underthings, or a new take on her bestselling slip design with a stitched outline she said was a humorous take on the VPL, or visible panty line. Lingerie details jazzed up fine tailoring, and October’s knack for sensual cuts was undiminished.
Among other standouts were trenchcoats with a row of eyelet closures on the back; leisurely suiting in crinkled satin, and a longline knit dress with crochet-trimmed seams along the bust and hipbones.
October said the collection — her biggest yet with some 60 styles — was inspired by her habit of taking note of the good things that happen to her in the summer and dedicated to women living their best lives, always. There were trips with girlfriends to Hydra, Antibes and Ibiza, but also bucolic moments in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv despite the ongoing war, where she was able to lens her look book in the city’s botanical gardens.
Guests to her presentation walked away with generous pots of rose jam made from flowers growing in the Carpathian Mountains — a poignant reminder that one should not just smell the roses but also preserve them.