Tata Christiane: Bad Trip in Hawaii

Viewing a Tata Christiane collection is much like being sucked into a Miley Cyrus music video; you’re convinced someone’s slipped a little something in your martini while you were powdering your nose. Pouty red lips, giant cat patterns, illustrated leggings, multi-coloured knits, the motifs are so extravagant they belong in the Tate, adhering to the notion that fashion is indeed wearable art.

With a background in costume design, there’s little surprise that the designs are so creative. The focus? Print print print. No fabric is left plain, and when a solid colour is used, it is embellished with iron-on patches or floral trimmings. This season, the German-born designers are inspired by their love of tropical islands, a world away from their studio in Berlin. The oversized T-shirts and harem pants have returned, this time stamped with images of flowers, buildings and childlike line drawings. The collection screams flow, freedom, comfort, movement, things highly desired during the warm season. Fringed leggings are paired with kaftan-like shirts, and sheer kimonos saturated with bright green palm trees provide a beachy ambience. The result is a whirlwind of bold colours, patterns, prints and textures that inspire and transport into an exotic daydream.

Although the eccentricity of Tata Christiane’s aesthetic may not be to everyone’s tastes, the label has certainly transformed theatre and performance clothing into wearable, funky fashion. They are uninterested in conforming, instead focusing on catering for the “ambiguous queen”. And they’re doing a pretty good job of it too.

Caroline Saramowicz

Click here to visit the website.