Stripping away all the excess, Sam Linder presented a lineup focused on fashion’s bare necessities: silhouette, cut, and fabric choice. Where other brand’s have taken to piling things on, perhaps as a way to appeal to Instagram-snapping youths, Linder approached his Spring 2020 collection with subtlety. “This time around we reduced our use of decorative detailing, fabric treatments, accessories and other add-ons,” he explained. “We wanted to put fit, silhouette, texture, color and finishing in the foreground, and let these elements carry most of the load. For us, it acted as a palette cleanser, and made us look for what’s irreducible in our work throughout the seasons.”
A sporty aura is what permeates throughout all his collections. Season after season, Linder uses elastane fabrics, racing stripes, and color-blocked patterns, reimagining them in a way that elevates these activewear elements, making them appropriate for on-duty hours. He continued this study with his latest show by offering sleek separates and dresses that clearly follow a less-is-more mindset. There were seersucker skirts and coats in ivory; form-fitting, sleeveless tops and biker shorts in contrasting hues; and slinky dresses and suits in soft colors or faint prints of of building facades. Curved contours on the hems of shirts and trousers, and bare chests were also prominent, adding sensuality to looks that, at first glance, would normally appear athletic. Indeed, it is his most elegant presentation yet.
Linder emphasized the minimalist quality of the collection with a makeshift runway in an assuming room at the SoHo Grand Hotel. With a pianist in the corner, playing acoustic takes on rock songs, the models strutted in a calm demeanor, letting the understated power of the clothes shine through.
Check out the Linder Spring 2020 collection in the slideshow:
