For its pre-fall 2017 collection, the late, great Nina Simone, the high priestess of soul, inspired ELLERY creative director Kym Ellery. Like the iconic Nina Simone, ELLERY is bold, out-of-the-box, effortless mixing feminine with the masculine. Also, like Simone, ELLERY melds the classic with the rebellious as evidenced in ELLERY classic silhouettes fused through a lens of fashion-forward sensibility and innovation.
That said; still in place is the brand’s penchant for restrained volume as seen in wide-legged pants and blouses that balloon in volume at the forearm. And what really stands out this season is the wide array of outerwear in this collection, from maxi coats, double-breasted coats, zippered overcoats to dusters, bombers and fur-embellished long coats.
The color palette in this collection is an interesting evolution of the brand. Though the neutral and dark colors are a carryover from other collection, this season Kym Ellery has incorporated burnt orange, mottled rust, a fiery print of red, as well as shades of blue and silver.
The fabrications used in this outing are also an evolution for the brand. Traditional fabrications of knitted houndstooth, flocked Italian shirting and paisley silk jacquards bring a timeless quality to the modern shapes. Innovative Swiss–pleated tulle, mottle-dyed velvets, and technical gabardine fabrications effortlessly hold the pre-fall 2017 collection’s silhouettes.
Where the Nina Simone influence is most evident in this pre-fall 2017 collection is in the styling and the juxtaposition of hard and soft, feminine and masculine, and how Kym Ellery has reviewed early 70s influences into this outing. Cinched in waist, wide-legged paints, maxi coats with volume and most evident in this collection the oversized jewelry conjures up images of the early 1970s. Nina Simone was known for her costume statement jewelry that was large in scope. Statement jewelry in this collection the materials range from plated gold and silver to mottled resins in fleshy nudes, deep reds and a vibrant orange spotted tortoise.
Images courtesy of C&M Media
In the spirit of Nina Simone’s strong, powerful revolutionary voice that spoke to a people’s yearning for freedom of political thought and self-determination so does this collection render a bold, eclectic message of creative freedom and individualism.
—William S. Gooch
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