Last November, Magda Butrym celebrated her brand’s first decade in business. Since then, she’s kept on hitting high notes, scoring some impressive moments on the red carpet and on late-night TV, particularly with her padded-hip numbers. Some recent sightings: Renée Zellweger in an off-the-shoulder black hourglass dress at the Gotham awards; Natalie Portman in a cherry red, traditionally woven minidress with a structured bodice and ruffled hem for a turn on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and the Dutch top model Imaan Hammam at the Met Gala in a similarly sculptural white
custom suit. Plus an April collaboration with H&M that, a spokesperson said, nearly sold out by noon the first day.
But if the present is coming up roses—fittingly, that is also her emblem—with this collection the designer indulges once more in nostalgia. Mostly, that means ’80s-inflected silhouettes, with a one (or two)-and-done recipe: strong shouldered trenches, cropped blazers, a shaggy faux fur coat, or a leather bomber are paired with body-con numbers or a silky lingerie dress trimmed with handmade lace.
Handmade crochet, whether as trim, overlay, or full-on doily top and miniskirt, nods to the brand’s Slavic roots. Meanwhile, floral knitwear, jerseys, and denims—a salient trend for spring, for both genders—made a showing too. But what stood out most here, literally and figuratively, was the way Butrym has been using wire to abstract petals into bodices, bustiers, and dresses: those looked special but also easy enough to wear—no easy feat.
Flexing to uncertain times, the designer leaned into what she calls “daily statement wear.” That included “leg-centric” silhouettes; it will be interesting to see whether semi-sheer tights-as-trousers catch traction. More compelling were some iterations of Hammam’s Met Gala look, as well as more commercial items like t-shirts twisted into rosettes, a knitted top with a toss-over scarf detail, draped jersey dresses, and quite a few covetable coats, the brand’s bestsellers, in black leather or pony skin. Those were accessorized with a curved wooden wedge mule, new ballet flats or perhaps a clutch in water python.
While Butrym may have a soft spot for the past, her mind is focused on the future. Having just closed out a three-month pop-up in SoHo, the designer has her sights set on the Paris runway for fall. And if all goes to plan, she’ll circle back to New York for the opening of her first store outside Poland, again in SoHo. Judging by the scene in the Paris showroom, this brand looks like it’s about to level up.
