Speaking from his home village of Posadas in Córdoba, Spain, Alejandro Gómez Palomo said that his label’s film—and this collection—is entitled The Rehearsal. Firstly that’s because the video shows the backstage preparation for a fashion show that doesn’t happen, and secondly, he added.
“It’s rehearsing a situation in which we don’t know what’s going to happen and what’s going to work. We don’t even know if it’s spring ’21 because we don’t know what spring ’21 is going to be like. So we did it for the pleasure of making a beautiful collection and for the spring that we did not have this year.”
Palomo Spain
The rites of spring were apparent in pants cut to make the wearer’s glutes glimpsable and edged with fabric florals. A tangy green overcoat was worn above pants with a faux-open fly, from which more flowers crept.
“Flowers are sexual organs and I like talking about sex and sexuality, and now is a good time to connect to nature,” said Palomo. “I found it really beautiful to see flowers grow in unexpected places this spring when there was not so much human impact around.”
Some of Palomo’s staff had to leave him when the lockdown began, but with the small cadre that remained he fashioned some great pieces. The check suit with a lace-enhanced rear was made of individually stitched squares of silk, which, judging by his tone of voice when discussing it, was a very long process. A bias-cut sequin dress, edged with Swarovski crystals (the designer shouted out Swarovski as a significant supporter through recent lean months) was dramatic in its apparent simplicity.
The huge harem pants were based on Algerian originals via Poiret’s reinterpretation, and were especially wonderful when incorporated into a baby blue jumpsuit with bubbling drape at one shoulder, edged with flowers and grass of fabric and feather that resembled a riotously neglected patch of garden.
