PORTS 1961 SS2016 Women Collection

PORTS 1961 SS2016Womenswear Collection is about the travelling woman, living life between home, a hotel room and foreign cities. Urban uniforms are softened and elevated using artisanal elements, from glass and clay buttons, to woven raffia and hand-stitching and crochet details on shoes. The collection does not move strictly from daywear to eveningwear, but instead considers the journey from morning to afternoon to night, right-through to the morning after. Pieces have a worn, lived in feel - bias cut slip dresses and coordinating tailoring in washed satin are soft and easy enough to sleep in, while knits come frayed.

A sense of ease and naivety underpins all the pieces from the shirts that can be wrapped and tied around the body that were inspired by a woman effortlessly customising a man’s shirt. Pops of orange suggest breakfast hues, while black and white suiting, cotton poplin shirting and throw-on outerwear nods to sleepwear, while retaining a quiet luxury. Nataša Čagalj brings a lighter sensibility to this season - optimism and spontaneity are cherished, and a sense of sympathy to the requirements of women’s lives, bodies and wardrobes defines each design. The collection revels in reflection, drawing direct inspiration from relaxation.

A summer trip to the beach and time spent crafting objects with her family sparked her interest in playful, almost childlike elements, from embellishments cut from tin to cheerful potato prints. The latter are elevated as nets that mimic the floral shapes and striking fil-coupé pieces.

A sense of personal choice and flexibility unites all the pieces - they can be mixed, adapted and customized to suit the wearer, worn alone or together. This spirit of whimsy and possibility is reflected in clashes of different knit weaves and the combined use of multiple stripes - a technique inspired by the surprising beauty of the fabric sample blankets shown at the mills. The collection is created with respect to the fabrics, all of which are developed especially for Ports 1961. Together with the fresh, summery palette of crisp whites, sea blues and citrus tones, the collection evokes a sense of lazy days melting into happy, warm nights.