Tíscar Espadas wants to break free. This season the Andalusian designer had been feeling bogged down by the overload of images and information online and was seeking a way to clear it all out. Her solution was to create the whole collection from subtle variations of white: cream cotton, vanilla linen, and sandy ramie made up the palette, broken in its uniformity only by a slightly darker chain stitch floral pattern that appeared on a pair of trousers.
Titled Capitulo IX (Espadas works in chapters rather than traditional seasons, but moved to a more conventional schedule this year), it was, she explained during a showroom walkthrough, a way to “make a free space,” and a recall to her first collection, made entirely in calico. The deep symbolism of the shade—peace, potential, clarity—provided tabula rasa for her to show off her artistic flair for clothing that looks as though it has sprung from a fairytale.
“White is more sculptural somehow,” said Espadas. “It emphasizes the volumes, the detail and the structure of the garment.” Structure, of course, is what her brand is all about, and each season she delights in construction you simply won’t find anywhere else. This time, crotches were dropped to just above the knees, trousers ballooned out into cocoons or curled up at the hems like banana peels, and asymmetric skirts were cut with curves and straight lines. The designer’s artistic patterns and transgressive silhouettes, all intended to be genderless, mean that even in an endless run of beige they avoided feeling one-note.
The freedom theme also came through in the collection’s versatility: one “summer coat” had removable sleeves so it could be worn year-round, and vests could be buttoned in different ways or transformed into jackets. Skirts were designed without a front or a back so they could be worn in a way to please each individual. Ditto for the brand’s malleable and playful hats.
Alongside the main brand, Espadas and her partner Kevin Kohler are also launching UNO, a side label of one-off pieces that they intend to introduce slowly. At the showroom was an exquisite lace shirt; the deadstock fabric the duo had sourced left only enough for one piece, but Espadas felt it too beautiful to waste. Breaking away from seasonal fashion deliveries and production schedules, it was available to buy immediately. “This is also a kind of freedom,” she said.
