If you remade a Fellini movie with a cast of female basketball players, it might look a bit like Marios Schwab's spring collection. That sounds ridiculous, but consider the Londoner's blend of athletic, mesh-like guipure lace and butt-grazing silhouettes. Powdery shades pull tailored hourglass dresses back toward the girly side of things, but as the designer explains in our Q&A below, he's always toeing the line between sweetness and shadows.
Shop all Marios Schwab here.
Alice Newell-Hanson: People talk about your approach as being very theoretical. Do you agree?
Marios Schwab: Good design needs to come instinctively, but it still needs added depth.
ANH: What were you like in high school? Were you a bit of a brain?
MS: No, I was the unusual, artistically talented, kid!
ANH: What was on your mind when you were designing Spring/Summer 2012?
MS: An image of Pandora with a veil casting a shadow over her body, Herb Ritts photography, and classic film noir heroines.
ANH: How would you explain the collection's contrasting elements?
MS: It's a classic interpretation of femininity but with a contemporary, hard edge.
ANH: “Sexy” is a word that comes up a lot when people talk about your clothes. What is the sexiest thing you see people wearing in London?
MS: A good perfume is always a reason to turn around. People need to be more selective with their choices, more eccentric and molecular.
ANH: What is the least sexy thing?
MS: Rolled-up skinny jeans with loafers and boys who are too "trendy"—and white socks are not sexy.
ANH: Who are the three sexiest people of all time?
MS: Brigitte Bardo, Asia Argento, and Rita Hayworth
Shop all Marios Schwab here.
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cut-out lace triangle dress in white
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lace strap dress in off white
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lace dress in candy
Shop all Marios Schwab here.
Alice Newell-Hanson: People talk about your approach as being very theoretical. Do you agree?
Marios Schwab: Good design needs to come instinctively, but it still needs added depth.
ANH: What were you like in high school? Were you a bit of a brain?
MS: No, I was the unusual, artistically talented, kid!
ANH: What was on your mind when you were designing Spring/Summer 2012?
MS: An image of Pandora with a veil casting a shadow over her body, Herb Ritts photography, and classic film noir heroines.
ANH: How would you explain the collection's contrasting elements?
MS: It's a classic interpretation of femininity but with a contemporary, hard edge.
ANH: “Sexy” is a word that comes up a lot when people talk about your clothes. What is the sexiest thing you see people wearing in London?
MS: A good perfume is always a reason to turn around. People need to be more selective with their choices, more eccentric and molecular.
ANH: What is the least sexy thing?
MS: Rolled-up skinny jeans with loafers and boys who are too "trendy"—and white socks are not sexy.
ANH: Who are the three sexiest people of all time?
MS: Brigitte Bardo, Asia Argento, and Rita Hayworth
Shop all Marios Schwab here.
cut-out lace triangle dress in white
lace strap dress in off white
lace dress in candy