Tanya Taylor and her team always paint the prints in their collections, typically with inspiration from artists like Lee Krasner. Spring 2022 incorporated the work of painter Ammon Rost in a bigger way. Taylor discovered his studio a few months ago in Manhattan’s Financial District; he’d set up in the lobby of a sparkling, still-empty corporate tower. His expressive brushstrokes and clash of brights and pastels resonated with her instantly, and several of his large-scale canvases are installed in her presentation space. The collection’s lush palette complemented his, and the graphic sequined motifs on Taylor’s cotton-poplin dresses mirrored Rost’s gestural streaks.
Yet some of the collection’s most memorable pieces didn’t feature a painterly print or embellishment of any kind. The collection opened with a simple emerald slip held together at the shoulder blades with delicate ties. The color appeared in big and small doses elsewhere—see the bustier layered over a voluminous white eyelet frock—and it’s been trending on the streets. Color therapy aptly suggests it has a calming influence and can be a neutralizer in extreme times.
The color-blocking effect of those bustiers spoke to Taylor’s more graphic approach to spring. The diaphanous silks and pretty florals of years past were replaced here with stretchy compact knits and abstract blooms, with open-weave polos lending more of a sportif vibe. An ultra-voluminous, strapless black cotton dress with a spray of sequins looked like a future hit. Taylor is predicting that her customer doesn’t want to look soft and floaty in these post-pandemic times; she wants something bolder, comfier, and less fussy, with more room for her own style and interpretation.
