Gabriela Hearst is a nominee in the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent category at tonight’s CFDA Awards. But even if she doesn’t get the nod she deserves, she’ll have her moment in the spotlight.Gabriela Hearst is a nominee in the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent category at tonight’s CFDA Awards. But even if she doesn’t get the nod she deserves, she’ll have her moment in the spotlight. Hearst is dressing Board of Directors’ Tribute winner Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood, who is being recognized for her activism alongside Gloria Steinem and Janelle Monáe. It’s an apt affiliation for Hearst: She’s currently raising money for Planned Parenthood with a sweater project. What’s more, she’s building activism into her still young brand. Hers is an environmental activism; some of her suiting is made with deadstock fabric, eliminating the carbon footprint of ordering and making new fabric. She’s also using linen where she can instead of cotton; the production of linen requires less water. To cut down on its itch factor, an American complaint, she’s treated it with aloe; apparently her linen will moisturize your skin while you wear it. Of course, activism only means so much when the aesthetics don’t match. Hearst has that covered. The white dress she’s made with that linen is utterly charming: long-sleeved, midi-length, and demure, as is the fashion now. Off-the-shoulder silhouettes in both easy day dresses and highly constructed, corseted tailoring suggest she’s trend savvy, but more typically, Hearst designs with an eye to subtle details. She calls them hidden luxuries, as in the inset sheer pleats at the back hem of a well-cut trench, of the lining of her reversible washed-denim puffer jacket, a signature item. It’s water-resistant wool. Hearst has always made the most of her Uruguay connection. Her ranch’s sheep provide much of the merino wool she uses in her collections; this time around, she’s combined it with 10 percent cashmere, but it’s so lofty, you’d swear it was 100 percent the real thing.
POST: 2024-04-24