Brooklyn-based painter Grace Weaver has a secret admirer in Tanya Taylor, who created a resort collection loosely inspired by the artist. “The way she presents herself is very preppy, a little bit more reserved, utilitarian. I kept being interested in watching what she wore while she painted,” the designer said. “It got me excited to think about if she was alone in her studio for a week, how might she layer herself and start telling a story through clothes as she was creating?”
An a-line denim dress accessorized with a tool belt, canvas jackets with a leather pocket the same color as the leather pants they were styled with, and a khaki dress hand-painted by Taylor (which will be turned into a print) captured the romantic idea of a working artist well. Permanent rolled-up sleeves or buttons to hold actually rolled-up sleeves were also suggestive of hard work, while wide-legged jeans, roomy khakis, and cashmere sweaters in delicious colors captured a sort of mid-century Lee Krasner vibe. Where the collection seemed to veer from its frame (i.e. the story) was with the dressier pieces.
Taylor, who wants to encourage her customers to locate their inner artist, said she was thinking about creating an “organic dialogue between what you’re making and what you’re wearing.” There is no question that building and styling a wardrobe is a creative act, but it’s not the equivalent of making something from nothing. This created a sense of dissonance between the narrative and what was on the racks, especially as Taylor is a designer that is so attentive of her clients’ needs.
While it was difficult to make the leap from overalls to marabou-trimmed separates, subtracted from the story that Taylor proposed, the pieces worked. There was a lot of variety here, as well as newness. The cashmere bra and panty sets were as welcome as they were unexpected; similarly a one-button shirt showed just a little bit more skin than usual. According to the designer, a slightly curvy black leather jacket with a bit of puff at the sleeves was attracting a lot of attention from buyers. As with the collection as a whole, romance, not rebellion, was its cause.
