In the concrete jungle of New York, Eckaus Latta’s garden fashion show is a bright, organic oasis. 

For Spring 2023, Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta did what they do best: freshness, newness, and deep-rooted experimentalism saturated the collection, presented in a winding, sun-soaked garden, with models walking on a dirt path lined with seats as harpist Mary Lattimore’s whimsical harp-playing struck light-hearted joy within showgoers.

Eckhaus Latta’s vocabulary doesn’t know how to be depressive; their clothes, constantly, are defined by the buoyancy they evoke, the wonder and playfulness seen in exaggerated silhouettes, undone hemlines, oversized bagginess and undersized super-crops. This collection furthers the unbridled sense of magnetism of Eckhaus Latta, diving into a certain bohemia with loose-fitting pants and slip dresses, sheer fabrics, and an abundance of texture.

The garden proved to be the perfect backdrop to debut the collection; a palette of earthy, organic tones brightened by metallic details and tactile fabrics wrapped each of the 30 genderless looks into a neat little cohesive bundle, tied together in a tinsel bow of Eckhaus Latta’s optimism. Models reflected (literally) the brightness of the collection, with peel-off face masks giving their skin a shiny, glowy look, and hair left loose and flowy. 

In a collection where every look was a standout, details and tactility proved to be the biggest feats of design. Roughened cream-colored pants with light, feathery fraying running down the legs paired with an asymmetric, all-glitter crop top, mixing softness and hardness in one look; in the next, a teeny-tiny crop top that ends just below the collarbone paired with neutral brown jeans, dressing down a dressed-up look. 

Everywhere in the collection, touch, and feel. Skirts so sheer, you’d be able to feel the flesh of your fingers through the fabric if you were to grip the purposefully-slouched pleats; red tassels dotting the cream fabric of a mini slip dress; every hemline of a loosely tailored blazer and skirt set ragged and harshly cut, with raw fabric hanging from sleeves and lapels. 

The highlights of the collection were those that overwhelmed the senses, if not with abstract designs, then with monochrome tactility and textures. Look 11, a bulbous cropped tank made of individually-curled pieces of fabric, looked almost like a hydrangea, with a pale green mini skirt adding squared dimension to the rounded look.

Knits were widely the focus of the collection, with the final look – a knit tank top and mini skirt featuring a graphic print of a basket of shells, designed by Matthew Underwood, a friend of Latta’s who died recently – bringing the previous 29 looks to a cohesive resting place: a place where Eckhaus Latta’s optimism and unbridled joy is rampant and flows freely, somewhere in a garden in Manhattan.