Yigal Azrouël is taking a break from the runway—and he’s not the only one. Fashion Week has been an anything-goes affair of late, with designers nixing the traditional catwalk or presentation format in favor of dinner parties, picnics, and open-to-the-public events. Azrouël has staged dozens of shows over the years, so you can understand his wanting a breather. He got one in a literal sense by taking his Spring ’18 collection to a lush estate in Kent, Connecticut, for an open-air photo shoot.

The setting made sense for his calmer, more grounded clothes. Unlike the dark, moody collections of seasons past, his dresses and jumpsuits didn’t demand the drama of a runway show; they were better seen up close and via appointment. Any hard edges were softened by frayed silk ribbons, and the trench coats were so fluid they could double as dresses. Azrouël said he was thinking about the contrast between organic and architectural shapes, loosely inspired by Richard Serra’s large-scale outdoor sculptures. Azrouël’s concept mirrored that in a way: By taking his lean, asymmetrical crepe dresses and dark-rinse jeans out of their element and into the woods, he gave the city-slicking clothes a new, more relaxed context. The midi dresses and two-piece cocktail ensembles even came in a playful jacquard, dotted with tropical flowers, trees, and little monkeys. Maybe we could all stand to spend a little more time in nature.Read more at:www.marieaustralia.com/vintage-formal-dresses | http://www.marieaustralia.com/red-formal-wear