The first thing Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty wanted to talk about backstage at this morning’s Suno show was the shoes. After umpteen seasons collaborating with Nicholas Kirkwood, Suno has launched its own line of Italian-made footwear. Beatty said the goal was to create shoes that looked distinctive, but that were easy to wear: “Not too precious,” she explained, “but also not, you know, too fierce.”
Not too precious/not too fierce also served as a good summation of the clothes on Suno’s runway. Inspired by a visit to the recent exhibition “When the Curtain Never Comes Down” at the American Folk Art Museum, the designers riffed on the practice of outsider artists who channeled compulsive mental states into their work. Their focus was on the ways that these artists would use geometry to create a sense of order—hence the collection’s repeating square patterns and numerous looks belted (Beatty used the apt word restricted) at the waist. One of the nice ways that Beatty and Osterweis got at their theme was by introducing little grace notes of off-ness, such as the seemingly random placement of gathers on items like the opening dress in gingham. They also made reference to the origin of their inspiration by using folksy techniques and fabrics—that gingham, for instance, but also eyelet, peasant blouse–style ruching, and denim. A calf-length denim skirt, shown with a matching belted minidress, was the best look in the show.
