“Risen from denied existence, birthed in the dark, forbidden, sinful, untamed, intact…” For her new collection, Laura Gerte explored the cultural motif of the “female villain,” so the presentation began with poetically recited associations on this theme that she composed with her artist friend (and cast member) Samja Zad. “The female villain appears almost exclusively as an adult women. A woman becomes narratively evil when she stops being controllable,” said Gerte after her show. “The core of my past spring collection was very vulnerable and fragile, and this is somehow the next stage within the journey of womanhood: We own our body and sexuality, we don’t apologize anymore.”
The collection, entirely in black, was indeed full of sexiness. It showed in delicate mesh skirts and dresses, partly decorated with sequins and embroideries, lots of low waists (and even some backside cleavage), and a few very fine see-through knit dresses and tops.
Gerte continued to stick to her brand ethos of employing exclusively upcycled and deadstock materials and working as waste-saving as possible. Consequently, this also applied to her brand collaboration with Dr. Martens this season: instead of using new boots, she sourced worn boots on secondhand platforms and reworked them, using various hand lacing techniques, into leather corsets, a calf-length laced skirt, and even a bolero-length jacket.
Gerte’s beloved reworked jersey and printed T-shirt styles also made an appearance, as did her signature suiting. This came in the form of blazers, coat dresses, and tops that exposed the midriff. Shiny low-waisted suiting pants and a pencil skirt with hook-and-eye elements were among the further highlights.
Many of Gerte’s pieces can be worn in very different ways, and in stylist Luisa Probst, she has obviously found a close collaborator who understands and executes this well. Gerte’s version of sexy was never vulgar; rather it was a businesslike, grown-up, elegant sexy that you could imagine on the red carpets of this world, too. The choice of all- black—something the designer initially shied away from—gave the collection extra strength and coherence.