Escape, Easy-going, Unstructured Days-The New York Times

2021-12-16 07:12:52 By : Ms. Betty Lee

Attersee is a new line of brisk clothing and accessories, partly inspired by Gustav Klimt's summer trip to the foothills of the Austrian Alps.

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At the beginning of the last century, when the sweltering heat of August enveloped the sweltering streets of Vienna, Gustav Klimt would go west to the foot of the Alps, where he painted slender birch trees and other tranquil Landscape, study his Japanese art, read books and swim in the clear waters of Attersee, one of the largest lakes in Austria. He also paints from the lake, often driving a small rowing boat, dragging oil and canvas, and painting on its mineral blue surface. Immersed in nature, he would change his urban clothing into an ankle-length gown-a free and flowing clothing to match his unstructured days.

The artist's idyllic Alpine summer, especially the lake, where he feels most relaxed and self-conscious. She hopes these works can evoke what Klimt calls the desire to "disappear in an unprecedented way". Many of us have had this sentiment over the past year due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, but Wilkinson Shore’s view of escapism is more metaphorical. "Everyone has their own Atter Lake," she said. "For some people, this may be a European holiday or a distant adventure. For others, it may be hugging a friend again or opening the window."

Appropriately, the brand’s first collection included an Italian cotton and linen herringbone-blend gown — “not too light nor too heavy,” said Wilkinson Shore, who took a few months to come. Perfect drape in the cuffs and collar. "I can wear it from 8 in the morning to 11 in the evening," she said. "After jumping out of the sea, while running errands in the city, I wore a cardigan over my shoulders and went out for dinner." Others worn throughout the day The clothing includes a light top and shorts, together with the gown, the cheerful cabin stripes in five colors: crimson, navy blue and other classic shades are crossed with ivory yarn to create a charming daylight faded look. A quilted blanket with heavy linen edges (designed by Wilkinson Schor as a tablecloth taken by Attersee in Malibu) and a cord with a handmade leather end cap further complement the series' invitation au voyage.

It took many years for Wilkinson Schor to realize that she wanted to design clothes, not just edit or write stories about them. As a New York native with a master's degree in journalism, she started her career as a fashion and art editor of "The Daily Beast", and then worked for The Cut and T of New York Magazine. In terms of tailoring, she tends to wear crisp shirts and skirts for the office. "I collect them enthusiastically," she said. However, even those peculiar works-half of the company's polish, half of the elegant ease-are not completely in line with her style or ego, and, she said, a nagging question is: "make what I like What will the clothes look like? Actually want to wear them?"

Around 2017, Wilkinson Schor started sneaking away during lunch break and after get off work to visit the sample room in Manhattan's clothing district. Her goal is to design the perfect shirt skirt. The criteria are-a clean, collarless style; straight, easy-to-curl sleeves; a spacious but not oversized body-she has been an avid shopper for many years. Fine-tuning. For a long time, she thought it was a personal project, a way to fill the void in the wardrobe, but in the end she realized that other people might also like her design. In 2019, she left the magazine industry and founded Attersee.

Then came the pandemic, which threatened her plan like many others to shelve. The Italian textile factory where she spent months developing proprietary fabrics was temporarily closed. Model accessories moved to Zoom. "Starting this project in relative loneliness, with only a few trustworthy team members, very lonely," Wilkinson Shore said. However, at the same time, she draws inspiration from the collective desire to return to a less troublesome era, which strengthens her determination to produce works that may bring tranquility and even joy. The long linen dresses of this series are tightened at the waist and decorated with tassels to create a flowing effect when the wearer walks, or sailor tops are fastened with artificial tortoiseshell rings and decorated with fine woven trim.

When Wilkinson Schor was working on the series, a scene kept coming to her mind. She saw her closest friends and all their children-except for the adult series, most of which are gender-neutral, and the top and shorts versions are also child-sized-gathered by the water, perhaps in the Alps by the lake, Maybe not. Some people are running around in the water, while others are talking and laughing on the shore. There is a big lunch table under the shady tree, but nothing is too precious or planned. "This is not a trip I have taken, or a trip I don't even plan to take," Wilkinson Schor said. "However, I still want to have that feeling."