September marks the 20th anniversary of Andreas Melbostad’s debut as creative director of Phi, a line backed by Susan Dell, during New York Fashion Week. Just under two years ago, the Norwegian designer – who has an impressive resume that includes work at Calvin Klein and DKNY, with Alber Elbaz at Lanvin and as head of Diesel Black Gold’s mixed collections – launched his own line, made in Italy . , from his home base in Oslo. He said he was looking for a “new Scandinavian vision.” By this he means focusing on using sustainable materials to create small, evolutionary collections that focus on function rather than trends. They invariably take the weather into account, as it is so fickle in the Scandinavian countries, which means there is a lot of outerwear, much of which refers to military and utility clothing.
The fall collection included many familiar silhouettes, but the designer worked his pieces both inside and out (a parka blazer, he noted during a phone conversation, had a recycled wool lining) and also inside out (“inspired by military linings,” a men’s coat ). jacket was made of wool fleece jersey). These changes continued all the time; there were a few men’s loads of padded nylon instead of cotton drill. Similarly, a men’s cyclist was made from recycled wool felt; for women there was a leather-wool hybrid topper.
Melbostad explained that his deep dive into womenswear this season allowed him to “create some elements in the collection that add a kind of sexiness and a more dynamic feel.” At Phi, the designer often played with corsets, and this collection included a belted skirt. Melbostad worked the women’s silhouette in two ways: by keeping it straight and slim in the case of stretch-panel jeans and a bodycon scuba dress, and by softening it elsewhere. For example, a “hybrid pilot trench” featured a defined waist and turned-up hem, a curved shape that puffed up more dramatically in bubble miniskirts (including one in parachute material). Dust was carefully collected in the neckline of a short field jacket. That push and pull between a higher, tighter pant fit, syncopated with small bursts of volume, was in line with overarching seasonal themes.
