by Cara Livingstone
Accessible sophistication is the mantra of Lovechild 1979, which is the brainchild of Anne-Dorthe Larsen. Her ability to fuse two dichotomous elements are not entirely unheard of, but it is the seamlessness of her design that really stands out. In her SS18 collection, she pushes her prints to the direction of that elusive equipoise. Her aesthetics is not going to shock you into submission, it is not going to knock the varnish off, but it is an aesthetics for a modern woman comfortable in growing into sophistication. It is an aesthetics that is deeply rooted in the clarity of functionality without forgoing femininity. Ultimately this collection is a collection that is built at the right time for the right market with the right intention. So many rights build up to a collective exposition of drawstrings dresses, elegant silhouettes and above all, a sense of concise aesthetics that makes the collection look easy and simple. And we all know how hard easy is, and how complex simple can become. The evolution of Anne-Dorthe as designers is on display here. If her previous collections were of whimsy and playfulness, then this is a maturing step toward a brand that is becoming fully comfortable with itself.
