For nearly a decade, Jasmin Shokrian has been quietly creating thoughtful clothes that reflect her interest in the arts. This season, she reported that sales of her Spring ’14 collection are up by 300 percent—all thanks to a white T-shirt that read “Je pars habiter a Los Angeles.” The success of that relatively simple, Instagram-able top (in English, it says, “I want to live in Los Angeles”) got the designer thinking about the split-second attention span that social media fosters by bombarding us with thousands of images a day. At a Fall preview, Shokrian wondered, “How do we differentiate our own memories from things we’ve visually absorbed now?” She addressed that idea with a cerebral video starring Malu Byrne that strings together fragmented quotes such as “People’s memories are maybe the fuel they burn to stay alive” from Haruki Murakami’s novel After Dark.

For Fall, Shokrian revisited the wordplay of her popular T-shirt on pullovers and tote bags splashed with “Arte Povera,” a tribute to the mid-century modern art movement that partially inspired her this season. She went on to cite Persian architecture and the particular black-blue shade of caviar from the Caspian Sea as additional influences. All of this played out in a range of sculptural navy pieces (many of which were cut from a terrific silk faille that resembled technical nylon), which articulated Shokrian’s fascination with shapes. Highlights included a slightly retro swing coat, wool wrap skirts, and dressy culottes that would look nice at a cocktail event. Compared with recent outings, there was a sportier vibe here exemplified by organza sweatshirts, sweatpants trousers, and a windbreaker jacket. Many of the looks were finished off with a statement-making bucket hat (watch out, Pharrell) that doubled as a daytime clutch. Only time will tell whether it will become as popular as Shokrian’s Los Angeles tops.
—Brittany Adams
Runway Feed