A.W.A.K.E. Mode Spring 2023

Natalia Alaverdian showcased her spring collection in Paris’ American Cathedral, its Gothic revival architecture contrasting with the geometric motifs and neutral palette of her work.

“I normally start sketching [what] comes to mind and there are likely experimental things — textures, ideas, shapes that I just try,” the designer said.

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Cue a lineup filled with her takes on the season’s spiraling dress, deconstructed tailoring, cutouts in unexpected places and new versions of her signature one-shoulder shirt that ended up being “a bit of a Scandinavian fairy tale” blended with David Lynch’s “Dune,” she added. Front-row guest Doja Cat, her face and hands covered in gold paint, certainly had the otherworldly look down.

Though skewing toward the minimal, the lineup wasn’t without humor, as evidenced by a T-shirt with hotel slippers attached to the front like lopsided pockets, a design inspired by Alaverdian dropping those items while packing.

There was plenty to look at and appreciate from a retail perspective, especially with roomy shorts, well-cut trousers, sweater dresses and tweaked trenches that looked and felt desirable.

But distracting experiments — loose-knit panels that opened from crotch to knee, for one — and a lack of narrative coherence made the ensemble feel more work in progress than final cut.

Launch Gallery: A.W.A.K.E. Mode RTW Spring 2023

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