It’s pouring in Paris and I hesitated when putting on my rain boots this morning. Warm dry feet all day..or? Heels in purse? What about leather boots? Will these be the perfect combination of stylish and practical? Will a single person actually look at my feet today? Are my wellies ok for Fashion Week?
With a gloomy exterior mise en scene, Botter’s refreshing artist statement is waiting on an index card by my seat. “Realistic dressing…There is no time for fantasy, what we need right now is to be grounded in the world and reality.” Thank god and thank you, Botter, for reaffirming this most difficult of decisions I had to make today.
Reinterpreting the “hybrid” culture of the Caribbean for city stomping and Paris runways, Botter has cooked up a fun sort of aesthetic soup for this wet, bleak morning. Dark Waters takes us through their collection of wearable, responsable materials with Caribbean-inspired, poetic detailing and technique that meet street-appropriate silhouettes to create a collection that is not only streetwear cool as we know it- but also colorfully camp and consciously artful.
Reappropriated big brand imagery is reimagined in Botter’s visual codes, evoking a comical familiarity. But expert technical execution and beautiful material choice kicks up their kitschy wearability to definitely read as high-fashion. A leather bicycle seat clutch punctuates many of this seasons looks- a piece which is now burned into my right hemisphere and strikes me as their most emblematic. A very original, cool, and avant garde take on the Fanny pack- or “banana” as the French say.
Bravo Botter and until next time,
xx
Rianna
