Walking into suite 408 on West 14th street I’m immediately greeted with a friendly humble hello by Javier Garcia, the founder of the luxury womenswear clothing line Verlaine. I see racks of clothing and instantly my eyes drift towards a section of all black. Garcia seems to be reading my mind as he leads me towards the clothing. I notice a Victorian jacket and lift it up, examining the detail as Garcia tells me Shakespeare inspired the concept. Soon the model is wearing a similar jacket and I examine it closer. It’s a spliced oilskin jacket. Its collar can be worn high or folded down. The material is 100 percent waxed canvas.
“This one is distressed. I washed it and the wax got pulled up in different areas,” says designer Christine Dow. The jacket is actually two separate pieces. The two leather pieces are linked together with leather cording giving it a corset inspired look. The jacket radiates an equestrian meets romantic feel. “[They’re] held together by the seams on the arm holds or up the neck here,” says Dow. “So if you take out the leather cording they are two separate panels.” The sleeves are held together by bark brown leather straps. The shoulders are exaggerated and rounded. “I just wanted a rock n’ roll type of jacket,” says Dow as she takes a step back and looks at the piece. More…
The rest of the collection was just as interesting. Whether it was the black sequined coat inspired by the film Mars Attack by Tim Burton or the floor length rose copper dress or an off the shoulder inverted cardigan dress—the collection had a wide range of variety to choose for an evening out.
Verlaine Spring/Summer 2012 Press PreviewVerlaine Spring/Summer 2012 Press Preview
That’s just a taste of the collection, which was inspired by the Art Nouveau Movement meets architectural geometry. Starting its first season is the new V for Verlaine collection, which was made in Indonesia. The V line uses simple cottons. The colors range from white to black to sand to burgundy. The color that stood out the most was a white fabric dyed with Japanese ink that’s used for calligraphy. Some of the dresses flow out smoothly and the shirts fit to the skin. Down the middle of the shirts you can see the line of sewing. “We think that is a luxury thing to add into basics inside of overstitching everywhere,” says Garcia. Repeatedly I notice skirt pants. And even more notably noticeable was the asymmetric shape to most of the collection.
Verlaine Spring/Summer 2012 Press Preview
The night ended as Celebrity Vixen Justine and I gave the collection one final look. The rock n’ roll jacket was now neatly hung back up as though it hadn’t ever been touched. The models stood in place while Dow pointed at the clothing, making comments on the fabric. And Garcia, dressed in all black, showcased the collection to those now walking in. We walked away, but I slung back for one last look at the jacket before we picked up the pace and the elevator doors closed.