Last season, Mara Hoffman used her signature popcorn texture and roses to visually express the explosive nature of passion. For spring she went in a different direction, looking for the beating heart of simplicity. “I really thought about that idea and played with it,” she said during a walk-through. “How do we make it less complicated and get to the point? The point here is that I will get you to point B in the most elegant and sophisticated way I know how.
Hoffman offered two routes to your destination; one was metaphorical through the forest, the other more floral. Simplicity can refer to the absence of decoration, and the designer tended towards a kind of utilitarianism, although there was nothing robust about a chic cloud-white hemp suit, nor about railway-stripe trousers: both were quite tactile. Hoffman’s commitment to sustainable practices has led her to work with many natural fibers (crisp hemp, soft and dense organic cotton) and she has developed a kind of language of textures. This season, the surfaces of the materials seemed to refer back to nature; For example, a puckered material used for a black dress resembled bark.
Lately, many of us are longing for something to hold on to; a wish, a belief, or something more solid, like a hand, or perhaps a dress. By touching the body, clothing makes us aware of our flesh-and-blood existence; it also holds us in its embrace. Hoffman tackled that aspect of clothing with the hero pieces in this collection, which curved around the body like petals. The idea, said the designer, was to “bring some beautiful sculptural knowledge to the floral world.” She also had playfulness in mind, which was best expressed in the styling of a white button-down and a round black dress with an exaggerated (think ’80s proportions) ruffle that tapered from broad shoulders to a V-neck . Business downstairs, party upstairs? Or read carefully about the many roles women have to play? “We’re supposed to present in one way, but inside it’s kind of a mess, and I feel like I have both versions,” the designer said. “Something has also been undone, about which I would like to tell the truth a little more.” Life is messy; Hoffman’s spring collection makes you nice and clean.
