Tibi (Q9334)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Tibi is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Tibi |
Tibi is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Here are some of the things that Tibi’s Amy Smilovic and her team were looking at as inspiration for their summer collection: western motifs, sporty nylon fabrics, feminine dressing, and the 1970s animated TV showFat Albert. “I know it’s a weird reference, but that was the color inspiration,” Smilovic explained on a recent video call. The opening look is a fashion version of the Dumb Donald character, his green sweater turned into a minimalist slip dress, and his oversized beanie into a kind of felted extra-large baseball cap whipped up by Rae Godin, Tibi’s artist-in-residence. A handsome dusty purple-greige suit has its origins in the wardrobe of one Rudy Davis, while Mushmouth’s red pants, held up by a string, become a crinkly pair of pink trousers accessorized with a western belt and gold and silver chain belts with a lobster motif closure. A blue and brown striped matching terry shorts set worn with a white tech-y lab coat embodied the designer’s wish for that “ease and femininity you crave in June and July, but doing it with a sporty attitude.”Not everything was cartoon-ified. Dresses retained a certain elegance and ease: a long black spaghetti strap number with a high square neck was done in a tech-y fabric with un-tech-y flocked polka dots, while another had soft triangular sculptural details that created a sort of whisk-shape in a a new negative-space take on the balloon-silhouette trend.“I think that when we are craving things that have a little bit more femininity, exploring various ways of creating sculpture that is still soft is more important, because it is so easy to fall into tropes and then you don’t feel like yourself,” Smilovic said. “We give ourselves lots of room to experiment and play.”
19 November 2024
For Tibi’s spring collection, Amy Smilovic and her team were looking to push themselves and “be reckless.” Their clothes are unlikely to ever read that way, but what Smilovic was referring to was the fact that anything goes during her creative process. “We are grounded but at the same time we want to see how far we can push things and still feel like ourselves,” she said.Suiting played a starring role in the collection, and tailored separates had subtle details that declared to the world, “I’m not a regular jacket, I’m a cool jacket” and meant it. On the opening look, a single-breasted blazer had a button at the lapel so that you can wear it closed at the neck, which created a kind of mandarin collar; one jacket seemed to have been hybridized with a bomber; another was liberally sprinkled with a few welt pockets as decoration. Smilovic’s take on tailoring is above all easy, and is well suited for people that like to wear suits for fun and those whohaveto wear suits to work. The fact that Smilovic featured many male models wearing those exact same suits is further proof of her one-size-fits-all-stylish-denizens approach. She also played with tech-y fabrics, turning the classic windbreaker into a slouchy blouson-ish top, and adding a groovy exposed zipper down the front of track pants.The big news this season, perhaps, was an emphasis on an extra dropped-waist silhouette: low slung pants and skirts are a given, but more novel was a sweater with belt loops at the hem, worn with an asymmetrical striped skirt. A handkerchief-esque skirt was designed to be worn tied up or down, and many other garments featured swooping panels that added unexpected volume to otherwise straightforward silhouettes. The pair of parachute dresses that closed the show showed so much movement that this reviewer looked around to see where the fan was blowing from, but there was none, of course.
7 September 2024
Tibi’s resort 2025 collection began with a search for meaning. “We were searching for things that had meaning to us even when we didn’t know why,” Amy Smilovic explained during an appointment in her Manhattan office. “All of a sudden, our board was filled with Korean formal traditional dress, 1920s tennis players, and artwork by Paul Klee. It was the most random assortment of things.” The resulting lineup didn’t feel random at all, and was instead grounded by an undeniably sporty, preppy feel.An old Tibi logo from 1997 that featured an elephant was brought back and turned into a crest and applied to navy blazers and crewneck sweaters; climbing-inspired carabiner clips, first popularized by Chopova Lowena, appeared as subtle functional details that allowed a pleated skirt to transform into a pencil skirt by simply removing the pleated panel. “You can even attach them to other things, like if you want to wear a skirt over your jeans or whatever,” Smilovic demonstrated. “I don’t like it when things are one-and-done, I hate being totally committed to a certain look; and so this malleability is so important and our customers really seek it out.” A reversible trench coat also utilized carabiners and small metal loops to “cuff” the hem and make it shorter. “I love a to-the-ground trench, but when you’re not running around it’s not always completely practical,” she added.Elsewhere, a cotton jacket that was half-bomber, half-field jacket featured a contrasting corduroy collar that was removable. It came with a matching pencil skirt with pleats at the waistband that added the same ease as a pair of classic khaki pants. “A Goldman Sachs executive can wear this, but the corduroy would make it too casual,” she explained matter-of-factly. “So she can wear it without at the office, and with on the weekend.”When Smilovic talks about her customers, it is obvious that these are real women she’s thinking about, women that she meets through her brand’s own robust social media channels. With this collection in particular, born out of vibes instead of something more concrete, she has created building blocks for a legitimately cool wardrobe, things that by extension can help her customers unlock their own sense of personal style—the search for which is a constant on TikTok and Instagram.
It’s not only the convertible pieces that are exciting, but also the way she incorporates materials—like a simple double tank in sporty jersey, or a circle skirt in tech-y nylon—and her use of color. The aforementioned pleated skirt comes in white and navy but also a purple-ish gray color (unfortunately not featured in the lookbook); instead of brown or peach, Smilovic offers cotton separates in an in-between terracotta hue; a lingerie-inspired skirt comes in khaki green with a burst of orange lace. The latter is smartly paired with a simple navy button-down.Seeing the full collection on the racks it’s evident that she’s giving her customers the ability to easily push themselves out of their comfort zones, experiment with trends, and discover how to have fun with their style. And for the ones who already know how to do that; well, consider the candy-colored feather-covered pumps, and aggressively square-toed retro sneakers as special treats.
4 June 2024
At Tibi, Amy Smilovic was thinking about the ’90s. Not in the way fashion is always thinking about the ’90s, but in the way that the ’90s represent a certain kind of freedom. “We were looking at photos from the time; but not at the clothes, but the people and the models and how they were so alive,” the designer said during the presentation at her Wooster Street flagship. “It made us think a lot about not being overly self-conscious; about creating what we want and leaning into it.”What Smilovic and her team wanted was a sporty moment, but more in the essence of the way one dresses comfortably to partake in a sport, rather than the sport uniform itself. How to best have your wardrobe meet you where you are. “It’s using luxury fabrics in a sportier way and really experimenting with shapes and curves and letting pragmatism lead the way,” she said. She added irregular tacks to a sprightly balloon skirt that brought an element of motion, like they’d been caught by static. There were slouchy but not oversized tailoring pieces made from Italian wool, some of them with added belt embellishments that will allow for a manner of personalization. On a beige jacket, the belt helped an oversized bright green scarf stay in place while draped across a shoulder; on a pair of gaucho pants, an asymmetric sateen blouse with a round neck and slightly padded rounded shoulders was artfully threaded through a low slung croc print belt. Smilovic also showed double waistbands that could be pushed up or down. “Maybe you are experimenting with crop tops and you want your pants to hang a little lower,” she said. A quirky snail print appeared on a pencil skirt and on an easy stark white column dress with raw edges. Slow and steady wins the race.
12 February 2024
Tibi’s Amy Smilovic is nothing if not practical. Pre-fall is a summer collection, but she’s not making clothes for lounging around the Mediterranean (well, notjustfor that). “Our customer, she works. Summer is not just on a boat somewhere. We still have lots of stuff we have to get done,” she said.So, she offers roomy suiting, full skirts, lightweight denim, and knits. Nothing except a few bodices on empire-waist dresses is clingy to the body; perfect when it’s so hot you just don’t want anything touching you. The color palette is filled with what Smilovic describes as “colors with -ish at the end”: greenish, reddish, brownish. Since so many of the outfits are made of one or two pieces, the unexpected colors are not daunting.Tibi is not a print-forward brand, but Smilovic revived a batik floral she made for her very first collection in 1997. Back then, she lived in Solo, Indonesia, and worked with a local family to make the large-scale print. The new version appears on semi-structured pieces like camp shirts and board shorts made of a techy nylon.The collection was designed to help solve problems in your summer wardrobe, from the any-occassion oversized blazers to knits so lightweight you can ball them up in one hand. The latter could be worn over a bikini, in a movie theater, or in an over air-conditioned office. That’s Smilovic, earning the name she gave herself in her self-published bookThe Creative Pragmatist.
12 December 2023
A frilly,Dumb and Dumber–esque tuxedo shirt in pastel colors seems on its surface like a very un-Tibi piece. This is the brand of the “creative pragmatist” (a term designer Amy Smilovic coined to describe her stylish yet utilitarian philosophy), with pant styles named after Constantine Brancusi and Alexander Calder. Ruffles, really? “These tuxedo shirts are one of my favorite things. I just feel like it’s going to go over a bikini, it’s going to go out at night, it’s going to be a gym cover-up,” Smilovic said ahead of the Tibi show on Manhattan’s West Side on Saturday. And now it makes sense. These tops won’t be worn in context with a coordinating suit, but semi-ironically. Now that’s on brand.Smilovic has really honed in on her ability to help people get dressed and put together wardrobes with personality and intrigue. She released a book early this year titledThe Creative Pragmatist, which acts as a guide to getting dressed, and also spends a fair amount of time teaching her followers online how to build outfits—provided they would describe their style as chill, modern, and classic. She is solid in her philosophy, which shows up in the clothes. “More and more, we [Tibi] are feeling an unbelievable confidence that we know who we are, and it’s freed us up to just make the things we love and not be focused on what happens in fashion outside of our world,” Smilovic said. “This season, more than ever, is finding that place where you can just be and enjoy trying new things without overly questioning yourself.”Spring 2024 was certainly aligned with her aesthetic, with its asymmetrical blazers, ankle-skimming skirts, and relaxed trousers paired with flats. That said, a runway show isn’t always the best format for diving into the details of the clothing that Smilovic loves so much. There’s not much to wonder about a slouchy navy suit or a maxiskirt and tank top. But those details are genuinely interesting. For instance, many of the models wore what looked like socks and ballet flats but were really carefully developed boots. Some blazers had little cutouts that you could thread your watch through to show off your timepiece. L.L.Bean sent over some of its Boat and Totes, which were reworked with belts along the top and grips on the bottom to be held under the crook of one’s arm (though you could still use the straps). The draping was also quite pretty, such as in a mostly unassuming gray sweatshirt with a billowing back.
The collection closed with those three tuxedo shirts, worn with jeans. Which maybe was the Tibi way of saving the most outlandish for last.
9 September 2023
“All this quiet luxury, it’s a slippery slope to just boring,” Amy Smilovic said while walking through her resort collection for Tibi. While her label makes many things that could fall under the increasingly popular category of stealth wealth—logoless ready-to-wear with a nonchalant attitude—she makes sure that every staple is balanced out with weirdness. Her flats are made out of gold nylon, her sweatpants have massive barrel legs, and her black leggings are really jodhpurs, preferably worn with socks and strappy heels.Rather than concern herself with making something self consciously elegant, Smilovic focuses on ease, sportiness, and personality. The resort lookbook was photographed in Vienna, because Americans, Smolivic explained, tend to associate Europe with effortless chic. It’s a tight edit, with knee-length skirts, tailored blazers, oversized sweaters and wide-leg trousers as building blocks. A black tube top, an ostrich-print leather midi skirt, and those gold shoes add some of the levity Smilovic values. It’s definitely more utilitarian than her main season collections tend to be, but she nonetheless avoided that aforementioned slippery slope.
7 June 2023
The 1956 movieGiant, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean, inspired Tibi’s fall 2023 collection. In some ways, very literally; the campaign images recreate exact shots from the movie. But the film inspired the clothes in a more relaxed manner, too. “Nothing specific, there are no clothing references, just the feeling of it,” designer Amy Smilovic said. Taylor’s character is an East Coast gal who moves to West Texas, and her traditional equestrian wardrobe is at odds with the realities of cattle ranching. Smilovic took this premise—prissy clothes in a rustic environment—and played with it in a modern way.Shot in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the collection embraces the juxtapositions of fluidity and tailoring, utilitarianism and whimsy, hard and soft. Many of the clothes have detachable panels or ties that can blow in the wind. Several structured suit jackets have removable lapels, many of the models are wearing versatile turtleneck bolero-cum-headscarves, and fluid blouses have neck ties. “They’re not here to pussybow up, but when you’re walking, you have this movement,” Smilovic said. The designer has an eye for adding a breeziness to sculpted shapes or something as proper as a suit. Though this season the shoulders are more precise than they were in seasons past and more of the separates are office-appropriate, there is a coolness to their boxy fit, their long sleeves.For spring Smilovic showed a trompe l’oeil jumpsuit that resembled dress trousers and suspenders. She was shocked when it was the first item to sell out. This season, the style is back in black and blue denim. It’s on the kookier end of the collection to be sure, but stuffed into cowboy boots it’s weirdly appealing. Just like wearing gold tinsel kitten heels on a ranch with an oversized waxy green jacket.
13 February 2023
Tibi’s Amy Smilovic is fun on Instagram. The designer frequently answers DMs from her followers seeking fashion advice: from broad questions like “how do I build a wardrobe?” to details like “what shoes can I wear with a sculptural pant?” By doing so, she has direct insight into what her customers and potential customers are looking for from their clothes, and earlier this year she started to notice a pattern. “I started getting DMs from people saying ‘I’ve figured out my style, I’ve got these basics that aren’t basic, but I want to feel something more,’” she says. “It’s not enough that a jacket is luxurious or a pant is cut really well. You’re looking for your clothing to give you an emotional feeling. But I could go right now and wear some over-the-top piece and get a feeling from it, and it wouldn’t be practical and it wouldn’t fit my life. I thought for this season, how can we give ourselves more? How can we give the clothes feeling?”Emotional clothing—garments that elicit a reaction when you put them on—are different for everybody. But a person shopping at Tibi will likely want pieces that strike that fine balance between practical and special. This season, Smilovic offered familiar-ish silhouettes in a range of interesting colors: Salmon trousers and pleated maxis, violet midis and sleeveless blouses, chartreuse sweaters with royal blue midi skirts. She hopes that these particular shades will be “good friends on the playground,” that is, in your wardrobe. Texture plays a key role in creating novelty; Smilovic points out that there’s little repetition of fabrics throughout the collection, including ultrasuede, denim, and a thick athletic material.Is the collection groundbreaking? No, but that doesn’t seem to be the goal. Instead, like Smilovic’s Instagram, the clothes encourage aspiring adventurous dressers to step out of their comfort zone.
7 November 2022
The prelude to Tibi’s 25th anniversary show was the opening verse of Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is,” a song about becoming disillusioned with life and being inspired to “break out the booze and have a ball” in spite of that. The ditty inspired designer Amy Smilovic early on in the collection’s conception. “We wanted to acknowledge that style and beauty make us feel really great. When you’re just trying to enjoy life, surrounding yourself with that is a good thing,” she said. “Life is life. It’s all there is, and you can make it great and enjoy it or not.”It seemed to connect, also, to Tibi’s reinvention over the past two and a half decades. Smilovic started her brand while living as an expat in Hong Kong, and in its first decade or so, Tibi was known for bold, colorful prints. Since then, the label has evolved to be more a reflection of Smilovic’s sophisticated and clean personal style, more in line with ’90s minimalism than Y2K jubilance. Looking at the spring 2023 collection, it was hard to see remnants of the brand’s tropical origins. Oversized but keenly tailored suits, sheer fabrics, and low-slung maxiskirts and pants ruled the runway instead: insouciant but with a formal bent.Within the framework of Lee’s lyrics, it seemed silly to ask Smilovic what the through line in her 25 years of work has been. Why should she be attached to nostalgic self-references? Why shouldn’t she keep exploring what modernity means now, rather than what it meant back in 1997? (For the record, that’s what she said she thought linked all of her collections: modern effortlessness).Smilovic’s aim is to provide her customers with clothes they can wear for multiple facets of their lives. “No matter where you are in your life, it all merges together, so you don’t open up your closet and have work and dinner and kids’ outfits,” she said. Even so, elements of the collection felt like they were cheekily thumbing their nose at the idea of corporate clothing. See the jumpsuit that looked like a pair of work slacks held up with suspenders, or the black pants with sheer legs, or the light-wash denim suit, or the pinstripe miniskirt and kerchief top, or the blazers with only one arm (which Smilovic herself wore to the show). Yes, these pieces could be mixed and matched for a corporate office environment, but they also felt appropriate for a time when many people feel apathetic toward office life and tying themselves to a stifling 9-to-5.
These clothes adopted the aesthetics of tradition, but messed with them in an irreverent—and, it must be said, modern—way. They seemed to say, in harmony with Lee, “If that’s all there is, my friends, then let’s keep dancing.”
10 September 2022