Glance at this collection, which is officially credited to the Carven studio, and you would be hard-pressed to detect where Louise Trotter’s vision ends, and incoming director of design Mark Thomas’s begins. From the lookbook’s opening trench coat with its soft gray underside to the crisp tuxedo shirt and tuxedo skirt further down, this transition moment appears like a well-considered articulation in continuity. Anyone who has been drawn to the brand since Trotter’s arrival in 2023 (with Thomas as her senior designer) will appreciate how these latest streamlined yet sophisticated silhouettes merge with previous seasons.
Of course, it never hurts to inject a touch of inspiration, which comes in the form of women artists such as Agnes Martin, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Celia Paul. Rather than their works (largely dissimilar), their style—inside and outside the studio—informed some of the blousy smock tops and wraparound apron shapes. These interpretations are not literal—more like abstractions—and their materials make all the difference. Among the ongoing codes of Carven is a penchant for fabrics that appear structured to the eye yet soft around the body, such as a rounded mac coat, a lingerie dress with flannel on front and crushed lining in the back, or the looks in couture-like silk wool. The knits and cashmere shifts—often double-faced and accented with subtle design details—are pieces to be grateful for when you need to leave home looking pulled together.
More often than not, Carven understands the wearable imperative, even when an ample khaki skirt conjuring a tarp impulsively pulled off a painting seems more satisfying to imagine than to wear. If the open-toed satin mules and supple bedroom slippers paired with ribbed socks are more suited to life indoors than the practicalities of the street, a new bag named Tommaso has a minimalist, all-purpose appeal. As for the crisp and tailored denim, notice the gold key that ornaments a belt loop. Replicated from a key found at the venue of Trotter’s first runway show, it became a symbol for the studio—and now, presumably, for us as Thomas opens the door to his own Carven soon enough.
