Tabula Rasa (Q9279)
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Tabula Rasa is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Tabula Rasa |
Tabula Rasa is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Emily Diamandis has a way of making sweaters tell stories. To her, knitwear is a clothing category that can be defined by more than just coziness and comfort. The designer’s creations bring to mind specific periods, paintings, and places, even in their simplest or most standard forms. This season at Tabula Rasa, Diamandis had Pre-Raphaelite beauties on the brain. She also pointed to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the traditional textile designs of the Berber culture as a source of inspiration.Marrying these two polar-opposite references in a cohesive way is no easy task, but Diamandis managed to pull it off. The hybrid was present in the heavy woven cardigans in pastel hues—the balloon sleeves and corset ties calling to mind an 1840s-era portrait of a lady, and the mixed knit techniques nodding to an intricate Berber rug. Playful fringe on gray pullover sweaters also played up the Moroccan vibes, and there was a delicate, almost ethereal tone to the wrap skirts and the dresses with cutouts and knotted detailing at the bust. Some pieces, namely the athleisure-esque mesh tops, were a bit off base in terms of their sportiness. In all though, it was a smart collection by Diamandis and one that successfully told two very different narratives at the same time.
16 March 2018
Tabula Rasa isn’t your average knitwear brand. With each new season, designer Emily Diamandis expands and updates her aesthetic palette, and Spring 2018 represented the next inch forward. Her clothes always give off a similar, holiday-inspired vibe from collection to collection, and she stays true to the details she loves: a car-wash hem, geometric intarsia, and loads of fringe. For Diamandis, it’s about building on those signature frills and creating new scenarios and scenes for the customer to embrace. This time around, the designer took an imaginary journey to Mali, as seen through the lens of photographer Malick Sidibé. His black-and-white photos captured the local culture of Bamako during the 1960s.If you aren’t familiar with his work, it might be tough to understand how Diamandis incorporated the artist’s snapshots into her lineup of slubby sweaters and tassel-bedecked dresses. But subtlety, at least in terms of reference, is one of her strong suits. Sidibé’s portraits were there in the black and white of the striped, sleeveless gown and in the gold fringing and chevron patterns that nodded to the traditional embellishments of Mali’s Dogon Binu shrines. Everything felt consistent save for a slouchy knit top decorated with little woven cherries and palm trees—it took the vacation vibe to a different and overtly literal place. In all, though, Diamandis is finding her ready-to-wear groove and making us all think differently about how to incorporate knitwear into our everyday wardrobe, whether it’s a ruffled crop top, a crocheted bikini, or a simple dress inspired by a very specific person and a far-off place.
19 October 2017
Emily Diamandis was weaving her crafty knitwear long before the artisan trend hit the Fall 2017 runways. Since launching her business in 2013, the former Rag & Bone designer’s fringy, handcrafted pieces have been selling fast on sites like Moda Operandi and MatchesFashion.com. This season, she’s amped up her offering a bit further with a striking collection inspired by India and the ceremonial dress of Rajasthani warriors. These references come through most visibly in the pinwheel crochet appliqués on perfectly slouchy sweaters done in rich reds and navy blues. Other than her nods to traditional royalty, Diamandis also borrowed from the disco queens of the ’70s. Her expanded Fall wares include a brilliant shag bomber jacket and a beautiful metallic knit chain-mail skirt. The striped, low V-neck bodysuits weren’t half bad, either.With these playful and intricate new formfitting pieces, there was something a bit more fashion-forward about Tabula Rasa this season. In continuing to experiment with daring textures and silhouettes, Diamandis is sure to keep the success of her handcrafted knitwear brand on the upswing.
23 March 2017