Fashion Design

The Meaning and Inspiration Behind the Kate Stoltz Spring/Summer 2018 Collection Posted on 27 Apr 11:57 , 19 comments

The Kate Stoltz 2018 Spring/Summer Collection was designed for urban women living in an environment where square space is as coveted as privacy. Black quickly became the primary color for the collection. Every piece was designed to be easy to style, but with precisely placed details that carried out the inspiration and ideas that tied the pieces together.

While the images that inspired the collection came from a recent trip to Greece, the current events in the world also impacted the decisions made in textiles, style lines, silhouettes and color. Political tensions in the United States and the sobering reality that 'Me too' was more common among women than I had ever imagined prompted a more somber approach. The 'Me Too' movement prompted me to think about women's clothing differently and focus on strength rather than sexuality. A tailored wool dress with a pick stitch, tailored merino wool flare dress pants were designed to celebrate the women stepping forward and taking over industries and defying boundaries in their careers and personal lives. Darker colors, long sleeves, midi skirts and suiting was influenced by the typical well dressed male wardrobe that focuses on presentation and tailoring rather than sexual attraction.

The Abstract Heart Blouse was created with a desire of seeing some love and understanding in the midst of the chaos stemming from the political circumstances. The bright red, an expression of wanting to break away from the heaviness I felt in the midst of an angry protest, or when seeing two sides resort to name calling to defend their point instead of having productive conversations. It's a request for people to see other people's opinions and traditions with an open heart, willing to listen to why they feel the way they do, then making decisions based on facts and the good of humanity. To work together and focus on love instead of hatred.

Maggie Duckworth, a stylist in New York City reached out to me with a request to borrow a couple pieces from the collection for an editorial project with NYC fashion photographer Emmanuel Faure. Together with her style team, Maggie paired the Abstract Heart Blouse with the Feathery Pillar Skirt, a red beret and red shoes. The large team worked together to produce an image that gave the pieces life. It's projects like these that assure me that humans can work together to create something beautiful if we have the patience to openly listen to each other's ideas.