Manila envelopes printed with the words: “Do Not Open. Wait for Laughter” waited for guests at Eckhaus Latta. Everybody followed the instructions. Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta have built an audience that encompasses the cream of the establishment-critic crop to the coolest of downtown kids, and everybody played along. The mood was merry. It was Friday night and there was an after-party later to celebrate the duo’s new J.Crew collaboration.
But first, their new spring collection, which was a familiar, but increasingly refined mix of tees, knits, jeans. The pencil skirt that opened the show was shot through with metal threads for a perma-wrinkle look, and t-shirts were cut on the bias to enhance their natural drape. Sheerness was a recurring theme, whether the designers were layering stretch mesh in different pop colors for tanks and tube dresses, or cutting cloudlike, weightless shifts to slip on over opaque slips and separates. The effect wasn’t leering, as exposed skin can sometimes feel on the runways, but sexy in an off-hand, “I’m not trying hard” way.
It’s a quality Eckhaus and Latta are good at. Denim is a specialty, and the twisting seam, barrel shaped jeans that slung low from the hips looked as reliably cool as ever, but they also leaned into more formal tailoring. Elegance is a stuffy word to use here but it fits for men’s trousers cut with a sort of paperbag waist, a belt bisecting a half unzipped zipper. The guys got a black suit with a smart fit, too; next time it’d be nice to see the women’s equivalent.
Eventually, a tinkling of laughs on the soundtrack. The show wasn’t over; it was time for part two: the reveal of the duo’s see-now, buy-now J.Crew collection. The confetti inside the now-opened envelopes was for tossing at the models as they walked by. (A rollneck they did for the brand earlier this year sold out in three hours, which is cause for celebration by any measure.) These clothes had a younger, more straight-world vibe—preppy almost. That distinction seemed intentional. The Eckhaus Latta brand has been growing swiftly over the last several years, especially with the addition of a handbag offering, and the goal is to keep getting bigger. Or land a big creative director gig? “We’re not interested in remaining tiny or nice or specific to a small group of people,” Latta said. J.Crew was the beneficiary this season. As for next season? Industry execs, it’s your move.