According to van Gogh, Frans Hals painted with 27 shades of black. DSTM might not use that range, but they also demonstrate the depth and expressive potential of fashion’s signature hue.
And they have now updated their palette to include a sophisticated sampling of brilliant tones. In previous seasons, designers Jen Gilpin and Kyle Callanan added jolts of Russian red, gold and caramel to their collections. This season, inspired by Indonesia’s ancient Mentawai tribe, contained subtler colours but consistently arresting shapes. Creams, gold, teal and midnight blue highlighted the compelling textures and forms in their predominantly black range of men’s and women’s-wear in silk, leather, feathers, cashmere, wool, and modals. The iridescent sheen of oil-black feathers ascending from the collar and along the open back of a breathtaking dress molded on pin-up model Eden Berlin’s perfect form were the ideal evidence that masterfully used black is never basic.
by Ana Finel Honigman
