“It feels good to be taken more seriously,” said Tanner Richie as he and his partner in life and business, Fletcher Kasell, walked through their Spring 2024 collection. It’s been a turbulent few months for the duo. In March, Bad Bunny covered TIME Magazine wore their now signature bow suit and in June their Tanner Fletcher label was announced as one of ten finalists for the CFDA/Fashion Fashion Fund. This has translated into both editorial and retail interest: people from Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus sat in the front row, as did editors from most glossies. Not too shabby for a brand that was only launched three years ago.
But their debut show this afternoon, with a beauty pageant theme and funny descriptions of each model contestant, was all giggles. That is Tanner Fletcher’s Duality. It can be a serious brand without being serious itself, it can be whimsical and kitschy but also wearable and sensible, and it can dress both the Upper East Side lady and the Bushwick enby.
“I think the cooler, younger people see it more as a Bushwick vintage vibe, and our older customer sees the sophistication and richness of the fabrics,” says Richie. This kind of self-awareness will serve him and Kasell well as they shape their label, and it had a welcome impact on their spring lineup. For starters, they continued to expand their range of dresses and more traditional women’s clothing. The dresses were beautiful, well cut, and walked the line between the couple’s retro-now aesthetic and the way the woman shops for a sheath on Net-A-Porter or Moda Operandi dresses. A diagonally cut silk floral number and sheer black briefs were particularly convincing here. “Our client sees it as genderless, versus the [insert e-tailer here] who sees it as a very girly dress, in line with other of their brands,” says Kasell.
This season, the designers also delved deeper into the basic principles of their world. A few slip dresses, a range of pinstripe tailoring, ruffled lace jeans with ribbon accents, a cute ribbed tank top, cozy granny knits and a range of fabulous white shirts. They got these just right, and were smart to embellish them with some funkier pieces like silk suspender belts or knitted floral brooches.
The duo also found more confidence to experiment with a variety of fabrications. Two suits – the most eccentric – stood out in the lineup: one with lace and silky piping sewn in a striped pattern, and another in black and white floral jacquard with frayed edges. Also cool: floral sequin covered in translucent sequins. It is these types of pieces that are really appreciated by Tanner Fletcher. They’ve found a balance between modern and retro to enhance the weirdness.
