A portrait ofAshley Simpson

Ashley Simpson


Music Editor

Close

Stories

STOCKHOLM FASHION WEEK SPRING 2014


With New York Fashion Week starting today, the industry is flying in and preparing for the month-long marathon that is the collections. For those who were in Stockholm last week, the circus has already begun—albeit in refined, æsthetically functional (in other words, classically Scandinavian)—form. We sent our photographer Pablo Ravazzani to the shows at Stockholm’s eighth annual Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (certainly the most globally recognized edition to date) to capture the Spring 2014 collections. The resulting images—a quiet assortment of black-and-white shots drawing focus to simple lines and sharp silhouettes—mimic the clean minimalism of the clothes. This season was especially strong, with an emphasis on truly functional apparel: Whyred gave us architectural button-downs fit with transparent layers in steely, monochromatic colors inspired by the palette of Ingmar Bergman’s legendary Through a Glass Darkly; ALTEWAISAOME presented loose silk blouses and haute-structured collarless coats; and House of Dagmar was all about the shift in moods from day to night—near-chainmail knits, graphic printed minis, and periodic leather accents took shape in somber grays, midnight blacks, and dusty crèmes. J.Lindeberg brought utilitarian basics: slim-fit berry blue suits for men and classic leather jackets and pants punctuated with metallic accessories for women. It’s not all black-and white-minimalism, though. The look at BACK, Ann-Sofie Back’s diffusion line, was Nineties sportswear with a contemporary twist—boxy, neon orange T’s layered over baby blue, below-the-knee skirts and camel, lightweight jackets with Velcro fastenings. Still wearable, still practical, but far from quiet.