Mother of Pearl’s Amy Powney loves Wes Anderson, so for the label’s debut Pre-Fall collection, she looked at how Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, and Edward Norton were styled for the director’s 2012 film, Moonrise Kingdom. The Boy Scout influence was there, but with a subtle take in the form of a camel coat with thick stripes on the bottom and another with neoprene lining. Powney also drew upon the various animals and insects that appeared throughout the movie. Cat- and owl-print pieces were teamed with piped trousers for a look that felt fresh and clean, and a scarab motif was hand-embroidered in India on such items as a baby blue coat, mid-length skirt, and tunic. That’s how to do daytime embellishment.
The Maia Norman-founded brand has always had an athletic attitude, but there were new silhouettes here. A white wool piqué blouse with balloon sleeves replaced sport with chic, as did a gray plaid skirt with pleats highlighted in red. But what really caught the eye were the shoes, and not just the embellished high-top trainers, but also a pair of black creepers with floral embroidery. MoP now has 120 stockists worldwide—with those shoes, it should book a few more. Next up is the label’s first runway show for Fall ’15. And Powney’s influence? You guessed it: The Royal Tenenbaums.
