Now that we’ve been at it for a year, we can state with some authority what pandemic style is all about. On the one hand—the more heavily weighted hand, it must be noted—there’s clothing super comfy and ultrafunctional. Comfunctional, if you will. Needless to say, sweats are the paradigm here—in particular, the cozy sweatpants that can be paired with, say, a collarbone-baring blouse or a natty blazer when the medium-crop Zoom window beckons. And on the other hand, the pandemic has produced a kind of no-effs-given approach to getting dressed—self-isolation provides an autonomous zone where, just because you feel like it, you can wear whatever the hell you want. Why not wear the vintage cocktail dress you bought off Etsy during a bout of insomnia? There’s no reason for you to wear it and no reason you shouldn’t, even if—or especially if—all you’re celebrating is the successful delivery of your Caviar order. Lukewarm french fries! Pop the Champagne!
Rachel Comey’s spring collection nailed the brief—both hands. Most of this outing erred on the comfunctional side, including the de rigueur sweats: Comey provided myriad nonschlumpy, easy-to-wear looks suitable for use working from home, venturing out for a socially distanced drink, or, as she offered on a call today, “when you’re taking care of your chickens.” These included languid upcycled denim and canvas dresses and overalls; rib-knit separates; and blouson frocks and loose-fit pajama-style ensembles in familiar fabrications such as cotton, linen, and—a Comey signature—an airy Italian double-weave blend. As Comey noted, the current emphasis on e-commerce encouraged her to focus on materials customers can “understand without feeling them first”—though, as it happens, this collection will be the one in store when the Rachel Comey pop-up opens in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, next month.
No doubt brick-and-mortar shoppers will be happy to scoop up the no-brainer pieces shown here—but their what-the-hell impulses will be satisfied too, by flourishes like balloon sleeves, bold prints, and hand-painted accessories. One of Comey’s nicest touches here was a subtlety: a bit of crochet on a T-shirt; as she pointed out, this was one of many details dreamed up to give a sense of hand to utilitarian products. Another was, metaphorically, a sense of person-to-person connection at a time when that’s in short supply. In a feel-good collection, that was the best-feeling gesture of all.
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