“I want this to go on the red carpet,” said Anna October of a smoldering, knock-out slip dress that was Instagram-acceptable thanks to the careful placement of delicate floral bead embroidery on the sheer diamond-shaped inserts over the breasts. Similar embellished panels were inserted as godets in the skirt. As the designer has just signed with a PR agency in Los Angeles, the chances of her wish—and a paparazzo’s dream—coming true are much improved.
There’s always a touch of old Hollywood glamour in October’s bias-cut dresses. The designer, on a call from Kyiv, said she was particularly pleased with a pale pink number made of diamond-shaped pattern pieces and featuring shirring details. A dramatic topper of black marabou feathers was specifically designed with Tinseltown in mind. It also influenced the framework for this holiday collection for which October made a connection between the “cold glamour and cold beauty” of Michelle Pfieffer’s look, not character, in Scarface and the Snow Queen.
The latter was referenced in the hand-blown tear pendants that dangled off chokers and dropped from stunning tied mesh over-pieces. The pops of burgundy had their origins in the image of “a drop of blood on the ice.” Then there were winter whites throughout. Most notable was a creamy monochrome off-the-shoulder dress that was a patchwork of leftover materials including a crinkled satin from Japan, an Italian jacquard, and cotton viscose, and sweaters that can be adjusted with drawstring tabs. “I wanted this collection to go away from this kind of cute and girly mood, into something more cold and distant; to have the winter as a mood, as a vibe,” the designer said.
She is also set on making the “October suit” as much of a brand pillar as the “October dress.” Although the designer has been adding separates and tailoring over the past few seasons, it feels like she means it this time. The jacket of a royal blue pants suit had corset construction, and featured hooks and eyes as sleeve closures. Larger versions of this hardware ran, like vertebrae, all the way down the back of an evening trench that can be worn closed or open. Lingerie and tailoring also met a pair of pleated pants with the center front waistline consisting of inserted bra straps. This was shown with a matching jacket with a slit up the back and a drawstring, tied in a bow. Said October: “You can open the curtains and see the neck and the back—because it’s always nice to have kisses on the back.” Consider this a collection that is S.W.A.K.