Yet, the label‚Äîalong with the mystique‚Äîprevailed, and now with fresh direction from designer Kasia Bilinski, its new diffusion label, Imitation, has a shot at infusing the fantasy with some streamlined sophistication. Bilinski, who has previously clocked in time with TSE cashmere, Richard Chai, Naum, and ThreeAsFour, is drawing from the initial creative heritage of the brand, but with Imitation, she’s steering it in a decidedly more wearable direction.
Excuse me if I temporarily veer off my London-centric/obsessed ways seeing as my planning for this NYC trip has verged onto slightly maniacal territory and I’m reading Refinery 29 (‘ello London equivalent? Wherefore art thou?) like a woman possessed. I knew the label Imitation of Christ is no longer designed by Tara Subkoff but I didn’t know her replacement Kasia Bilinski, who has previously worked at Richard Chai and ThreeAsFour has developed a new diffusion line called ‘Imitiation’.
I don’t usually wax lyrical about ‘wearable’ directed pieces but judging from the SS08 campaign pictures shot by Mark Borthwick who is a film maker/photographer who has collaborated with Cat Power and Chloe Sevigny, the ambiguity to the precise nature of the clothes as a result of the lighting does make me intrigued by this diffusion line. It is also reportedly less pricy. All the better for me to fulfil my aim of buying a careful selection of pieces with longevity whilst out in New York, taking advantage of the currently pound:dollar conversion and be a little *ahem* grownup with my purchases and all the rest of it. I can’t see too clearly but it strikes me that there is this interesting pared down quality to the clothes and the materials used in the collection of premium merino wool, Italian silks and cashmere along with an abundance of French seams does all seem appealingly lux-lux, but not in a predictably overly-tasteful way.
Anyhow, if the point was to be very vague with the imagery and entice people to see what the hell Imitiation is all about then it‚Äôs worked and I shall hopefully be checking this out in person. Or perhaps those in the no can enlighten me as to the realities of ‚ÄòImitiation‚Äô (gosh… the last three words could possibly be the title of my debut film if I so wish to direct one!)
Ooooo, those pictures are so pretty. Kasia’s designs are so much nicer and much better quality than Tara’s- you should definitely check them out while you are here.
I see some references to TSE cashmere here, or what TSE did to shake up the truly stodgy cashmere industry (in which I worked for a couple of years). TSE took cashmere away from the ubiquitous cardigan and tea-and-crumpets Britishness. They worked with a more delicate color palette and their garments had drape and flow and musicality at a time when everything else had gold buttons.
You are going to have too much fun in New York, S.
Wowie…I’m usually all for construction, but in the case of a potentially-stodgy-lloking form of wool, drape and flow are great things in my eyes..
Mmmmmm they are loveliness itself. I think you’re practically obligated to buy a nice drapey knit and run around the clifftops all alluring and mysterious sensuality-ish.
Waaah! I want to be “baptized in a dark light of understated luxury” too!
Becky.
the images are really lovely, but i’m confused.. what’s the problem? oh dear… i need a proper coffee.
It’s quite mysterious, but the few shots are making me quite curious, seems very free and happy in the styling & photos though.
It looks TSE-ish to me, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It seems worth checking out.
um, unfortunately i can’t really see the clothes…was that the point???
i just love the shiney see through cottons lyered on top of each other. m hmmm. thx for the lovely imaging. greets *flora
I see the TSE references too and I believe the designer also worked for TSE so that would make sense…
Wow I didn’t know that either. Whatever happened to Tara S.??