Don’t call it dark academia and don’t call it your zany aunt, because Henry Zankov is exploring the in-between. “The more wrong it feels, the better,” said the designer. “The more wrong it feels, the more interesting it becomes.” It was a fitting sentiment as a photo of Leigh Bowery peeked out from the moodboard behind him.
This season, Zankov hoped to push himself past the foundations, specially knitwear and paillettes, that he has securely established. A partnership with The Real Real cemented this idea of longevity, too. (In addition to supplying shoes for the show, they also invited some of their own consigners through a raffle.)
The vampy color palette was new. A violet knit swim cap worked wonderfully with an autumnal brushed alpaca knit. Same goes for the blue striped shirt with draped velvet stripes. It was less of Slim Aarons’s riviera and more Kim Gordon goes coastal, especially with some of the absolute zingers seen in the psychedelic ski prints. Plus, Presley Oldham returned yet again, supplying the runway with an assortment of tubular shapes and fringed beads.
Backstage before the show, Zankov spoke of his woman embracing her insecurities. (We all still have them, right?) The opening look—an organza skirt turned inside out—felt like a particular risk for his repertoire, but ultimately balanced nicely with the sculptural coats.
Despite any nervousness, his expanding design language continued to pay off. Zankov has worked tirelessly to establish his materiality as a signature before moving to the next thing, building the confidence of his designs before dabbling with further experimentation. It’s about time that all that good taste got a bit of tang.
