2011 S/S Willow

Willow

Kit Willow

NEW YORK, September 8, 2010

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine might have a bone to pick with Australian up-and-comer Kit Willow. The British pop star has been wearing pieces from the designer's body-conscious Fall collection on the concert circuit. (Net-a-Porter had to reorder the long-sleeved tattoo dress after the singer wore it on the red carpet in August.) But Willow—perhaps inspired by her second pregnancy—has set off in a less flashy and rather timely new direction for Spring. Taking cues from nature, not the nightclub, she designed a lush digital print on silk tulle and a cotton viscose knit from an enlarged image of a wild zebra's mohawk and cut them into an asymmetrically draped party dress and a tank and sarong pant set, respectively. Balancing those and other tribal elements like shell embroidery and wooden beading were sharply cut, wear-with-everything tailored pieces, such as a single-button white leather jacket and a double-breasted blazer in military drab. For evening, Willow embellished a black zip-up vest and miniskirt with metal and plastic paillettes and tossed both of them over an acid yellow bra. Maybe there's something here for Welch, after all.