Full disclosure: I’m a big Tess Giberson fan. After seeing a show of hers live for the first time last season, I was hooked. I love the way she blends fine fabrics and clean designs. I was, however, a little startled when I saw pleats on the clothing racks backstage while I was taking pictures. Pleats? On maxi skirts and dresses? From my minimalist maven Tess?
But then I saw them come down the runway and I understood. Giberson was inspired by 1970s Palm Springs: those gorgeous, super-modern houses in the middle of the palm-treed desert in California. Man-made and nature-made right next to each other in visual harmony.
Giberson brought this into her collection, entitled “Simulate,” by using both natural materials and synthetic materials simultaneously on garments, like with a cellophane knit skirt or a crocheted metallic dress. White was featured prominently, with occasional bursts of silver (a foil pleated skirt!), bright blue (a silk dress with a wave collage!), beige, black and denim. I especially loved her white shiny glass silk dress cut into a shape of clean lines and a white wrap bikini (it had little boyshorts and its strings crossed multiple times over the torso. I died). And the pleats? They floated on the models and made them look goddess-like, the long, clean lines staying true to her aesthetic.
Makeup, again by Dick Page for Shiseido, was an indigo shimmer on the eyes and a slight brush of color on the cheeks. Hair, by Ward Stegerhoek, co-owner of Living Proof, was a tousled, teased, voluminous side ponytail.
Take a look at the entire collection here on Style.com, and check out some more photos from backstage below and here, all by moi!