Allow Helmut Lang to Demonstrate the Art of the 'Sharp Slouch'

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Helmut Lang designers Nicole and Michael Colovos got a dose of inspiration for fall 2013 after seeing Picasso's "Black and White" exhibition at the Guggenheim. Paying tribute to the Spanish artist, the designers cut and pieced together their materials (a lot of pony hair, leather, felt, and wool) into cubist shapes, but stopped short of borrowing the man's color palette. Instead, they stuck to their tried and true shades: black and white peppered with other neutrals and a bit of blue. The silhouette of the dresses, trousers, and especially the labels' bread and butter—outerwear—toed the line of new territory. As Nicole told Vogue, the collection's predominate cut is "not as loose as spring, but not as strict as we've made it in the past. I call it a sharp slouch; it's the perfect combination of the two." Whatever it's called, it fits snugly in the effortless-yet-tailored-cool look that the label does so well.

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