Tess “I have a mind for business, and a bod for sin” McGill joined All-In’s girl gang for spring. In her dualities of character, (bimbo/brainiac), style (high/low), and class (working class/white collar), this big-shouldered business suit and sneakers-wearing fictional heroine of Working Girl (played brilliantly by Melanie Griffith), who takes the ferry from Staten Island to Wall Street, is a reflection of fashion itself. The 1988 film engages with the idea of projection or dressing the part, putting one’s best face forward, as well as the constructed versus “real” self. It’s no wonder that designers, whether they saw the movie in theaters, on a VHS borrowed from Blockbuster, through a streaming service, or meme, continue to be mesmerized by Tess.
It’s also not surprising that Benjamin Barron and Bror August Vestbø would find such a colorful character alluring, but they weren’t only interested in Tess’s wardrobe, but also her circumstances. Unlike the debutant and pop star of seasons past, Tess must gagner son pain—make a living—and her wardrobe must work for day and night. Similarly, the designers wanted to add an element of relatability to their work, both in terms of offering and materials. “There was something exciting about this idea of someone trying to impersonate someone from a different background,” said Barron. “I think that often our characters have this idea of something contradictory to them… there’s something about her that is both glamorous and also falling apart, and this time there’s also an element of trying to achieve some sort of version of yourself. [If] previous collections [have focused on] a very rare, very heightened moment, this one’s a bit more about that kind of attempt in everyday life.”
Through a collaboration with Guess USA, All-In was able to work the most everyday material, denim, in extraordinary ways, starting with the opening look, a denim jacket constructed from three vintage ones. Digging through the denim brand’s archive, Barron and Vestbø found themselves drawn not as much to the Ellen Von Unwerth/Claudia Schiffer as Baby Bardot ’90 era, but further back to the company’s first decade (and the one that saw Anna Wintour’s first, groundbreaking Vogue cover featuring Michaela Bercu attired in Guess jeans and Christian Lacroix couture jacket).
“Easier” is the way Vestbø described the collection, but the de-and re-construction of long, narrow skirts looked complicated and sometimes stiff; effortlessness was to be found instead in sweaters through which scarves were pre-threaded, a polka-dot dress worn with thigh-high boots, and a draped minidress with rounds at the gathering point, which reference the cross stitch frames of the last show.
The designers once again played with the idea, also introduced the previous season, “of wearing clothing on display,” as Vestbø put it. So, for example, a shirt that looked like it was suspended flat on top of the body was anchored by a band of fabric that went around the body, leaving the back almost bare. This collection, titled Uptown Girl, made great use of the “business in front, party in the back” trope materially and ideologically. Any number of skirts, including the frothy explosion of tulle worn on the finale dress worn by Issa Lish, were shorts or just shorter in the back.
What better compliment can a designer receive than seeing their clothes purchased and worn? Barron and Vestbø have had great success with their pointy-toe, grommeted, laced, and customizable Level boot. This season there was a new rounded-toe model as well as bag-in-bags. And there was a greater proportion of garments the designers themselves can wear. Last season was a tipping point for the brand. “Before that we had only seen people wearing our boots or shoes,” noted Barron, “then last collection, we started to see people wearing the clothing for the first time in a bigger way, and to actually see people in an everyday context wear our clothing was one of the most exciting things for us.” Added Vestbø: “Even for ourselves, I feel like we’ve been like, ‘Oh, I want to wear something we make,’ so we wanted to make more things that we want to wear as well, or that we at least would imagine our friends wearing too.”
It’s really exciting to see how All-In is navigating the system with pieces that have a general appeal but also speak to industry insiders. This is probably connected to the designers’ storytelling ability in various mediums. Last season their popstar “Allina” released an album. Having shown in the basement of the building Tour Montparnasse once, for spring the venue was a top floor of the same, with a sprawling view of Paris, mirroring, noted Barron, McGill’s professional ascension.
As All-In the brand grew out of All-In the magazine, Vestbø and Barron perhaps have more in common with Carrie Bradshaw than McGill. Having taken the decision to show once a year, the print publication, said Barron, stands in, in some sense, for the second season. All in all, the designers seem to be writing a case study for a new way of doing things.
