Courtesy of Zana Bayne
Everyone knows their Marcs from their Calvins. But as fashion month kicks off, we’ll be spotlighting the up-and-coming designers and indie brands whose names you’ll want to remember.
Label: Zana Bayne
Need to Know: Zana Bayne has made a name on her leather harnesses, which blend high fashion with BDSM undertones and have been spotted on the likes of Cara Delevingne, Debbie Harry, Lady Gaga, and Madonna. It seems like the strangest of flukes that Rihanna hasn’t been snapped wearing one. In addition to strappy accouterments, Bayne also designs bags and a recently launched men’s range. For her Spring collection, she imagined bathing in a river by moonlight. While it’s a notion that might not at first jive with thick swathes of leather and hardware, Bayne’s use of her signature material is uncommonly expressive. Here, she whipped it into delicate lattice waist-cinchers, starry belts and pencil skirts, and some stunning new handbag styles. Recurring surrealistic motifs were particularly exquisite, from stars and crescent moons to delicate sets of silver metal hands. Crisp white cotton shirtdresses and skirts created in collaboration with designer Norisol Ferrari served as an elegant blank slate to showcase the pieces. Bayne’s choice to cast plus-size models along straight-size catwalkers was both a breath of fresh air and a reminder that one needn’t have a waistline like Cara’s to carry off Zana Bayne wares to stunning effect. The designer’s advice to those keen to dip a toe into the waters of haute harnesses but hesitant to go for the full, fabulous Monty? “Start with a fantastic belt. Then you add one strap, then you add five!”
Courtesy of Zana Bayne
She Says: “With the styling of the show, we really hoped to showcase how you can wear the pieces in an everyday manner—with a bit of fantasy mixed in.”
Where to Find It: Dover Street Market, Opening Ceremony, Comme des Garçons, Anthem Wares, Shop Untitled, and zanabayne.com.
