Knit Wit

February 9, 2012

Lindsay Degen is not your average fashion girl. The knitwear designer, who presented her first full collection yesterday (she showed a small lingerie capsule last NYFW), started out making large-scale knit art installations while studying at Rhode Island School of Design, then moved on to do more wearable pieces after various collaborations and encouragement from industry veterans like VPL’s Victoria Bartlett. But a quick glance at Degen’s latest offerings reassures that she has in no way compromised her avant-garde point of view. Degen dubbed this season Ask Tell to honor the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—she is professedly “all about celebrating individuality and being open.”

In keeping with the military theme, Degen did her own take on WWI battleship “dazzle” camouflage, taking her color palette from Communist propaganda posters. The result was a lineup that carried over cheeky items from Spring, like leggings with two well-placed cutouts on the bum and knit glove necklaces. But there were also more realistic items this time around, like cargo-inspired pants slashed at the knees (the designer was sporting them) and an abundance of sweater crop tops. Never one to take herself too seriously, Degen kept things playful with hyper-pigmented pastel “war paint” makeup and super-chunky platform sneakers that she embellished with yarn.

—Brittany Adams

Photo: Courtesy of Degen

tags: Degen, Fall '12, Lindsay Degen, Victoria Bartlett