What’s cool, cutting edge and important.

WHAT’S COOL, CUTTING EDGE AND IMPORTANT IN FASHION

Q& A

This season, Andreas Melbostad, the Norway-born, New York-based creative director for Diesel Black Gold, presented a softer take on the notto-be-messed-with Diesel girl during Milan Fashion Week. We sat down with Melbostad, who does double duty designing menswear and womenswear for the brand, to discuss fashion’s shifting ground. ON FEMININITY “I love thinking about the Diesel girl. She’s empowered, she’s strong and she’s got a bit of a rocky irreverence to her. She can also be super-feminine, but she’s in control of it. I pictured her shopping at an army-surplus store to bring utility to the femininity.” ON REINVENTING THE CLASSICS “I love iconic pieces, like a biker jacket, a good pair of jeans and a bomber jacket. We take a studied approach and reshape these pieces and push the volume to give new dimensions to something that is very honest and straightforward.” ON THE CONSUMER “You can inform yourself, you can shop the whole world, and with that comes a great sense of knowledge. I love this new customer.” ON STAYING INSPIRED “There’s a sense of never being satisfied. I’m constantly searching, questioning and evolving what I’m working on. You have to enjoy that process; you have to enjoy challenging yourself.”

ART MATTERS

The Lady Dior bag has a new look—several, in fact. Dior tapped seven artists to reimagine the iconic carryall. British painter Jason Martin dreamed up this metallic version, which features fluid curves that create an illusion of movement. The bags and small leather accessories (which also received the artsy treatment) will launch at Dior’s Miami boutique during Art Basel. ($7,947.60, dior.com)

ESTONIAN-BORN, LONDON-BASED ROBERTA EINER IS JUST TWO YEARS INTO DESIGNING HER EPONYMOUS LABEL, but the Central Saint Martins grad has already established a playful, frenetic vibe and a retail presence at Saks Fifth Avenue’s downtown-NYC store. The spring collection is a mix of mad prints and reworked shirting inspired by pastel-hued South Beach circa 1980. “I wanted to recreate what all the Studio 54 characters like Bianca Jagger, Janice Dickinson and Debbie Harry would have worn if they went to Miami,” says Einer. The designer’s clothes aren’t for the faint of heart. “With designs like mine, you’ll need quite the character to pull it off!” she says. (From $785, robertaeiner.com) n