COOL T.M Fall Winter 2021

FW21 INSPIRATION

Taking inspiration from Oscar Wilde, COOL TM designer Thomas Monet draws a link between the poet’s unbridled romanticism and the rebellious stance of punks, of which, with hindsight, he was a forerunner. The result is a silhouette that humorously mixes streetwear and couture with a hint of nostalgia, reflecting the complex spirit of 21th century youths, a generation defined by narcissism and a quest for social change.

Oscar WIlde’s devil-may-care attitude and self-confidence are embodied by Rico, Mino, Ilan, and their friends, the fearless muses of the collection, dressed in a fun-filled, haphazard mixture of styles that only true renegades can pull off. Many of the pieces are user-friendly wardrobe staples given the couture treatment : loose message t-shirts are cut in lace; houndstooth tweed jackets are adorned with hand sewn chains; tracksuits are made of silk, while some track pants are covered with sequins, with flowery lace running down the sides.

Monet has also had a long love story with Asia. This season, he referenced late 19th-century Japonisme with a Japanese blossom print on separates, and a series of traditional reversible coats lined with a patchwork of fabrics and slit at the sleeves, reinventing kimono shapes.

If flower prints on down jackets, bow-tied blouses and dramatic jacquard evening dresses have a sweet retro whiff, the collection is firmly entrenched in our era, imagining the kind of young street dandy Oscar Wilde would have been today.