admin It was clear from her spring collection that Sharon Wauchob has achieved a state of flow. Better yet, she has taken that transcendent fluidity between body and mind and translated it into garments that caress the wearer and interact with the air. “We edited it really solid and each step after was quite quick and unapologetic,” said the designer on a call. “I feel at the moment, especially with what we’re doing, the clarity has to be there… the customers want to know how to use it.”
The entire collection, which was largely made using archival silks, some mixed with cotton, others with a papery technical finish (see the trench) oozed confidence without a trace of stridency. The image of a spider web, gossamer yet strong, came to mind. That Wauchob can conjure such a feeling using the most ethereal materials—chiffon as delicate as a shadow, French lace, ostrich feathers, and résille nets—is a testament to her skill, and to her experience.
Having established her brand in 1998, this independent Irish designer is coming into her own. “We’re always told the same things, like, ‘Do what you believe in,’ but it’s so hard to keep that focus. I think being a little bit more mature helps on that; I’m much better at it now than I used to be,” said Wauchob. “We have been persevering, and so it does work to keep doing what you believe in.” As the designer expands her wholesale business and adds direct-to-consumer options, she’s sure to attract acolytes. Hers are thoughtful, well made clothes that respect tradition yet are totally of the now.
Wauchob said she’s working more intuitively and it was easy to sense that. For spring she started with the idea that “luxury doesn’t have to be an extreme proposition,” and challenged herself to “achieve that irreverent balance between casual elegance and modern sensibility.” One of the ways she did so was to blow up a scrunchie (shades of irony here)—“and I’m not a scrunchie girl at all,” Wauchob emphasized—into a sort of sculptural prop that could be worn as a peplum belt or sash. In look two, this piece creates a break in a linear silhouette created by a white camisole and tailored pants cut on a curve. (Wauchob works with Saville Row-trained artisans in England.) Smaller feathered “scrunchies” pushed up to the elbow transformed a silk T-shirt into a statement piece. An angelic top with floating streamers made use of the spiral cuts Wauchob has developed over time.
