The print on my favorite piece from Ostwald Helgason's presentation on Saturday was a cross between between toile de jouy, camouflage, and a vintage map—complete with tiny ships. Combining fantastical nautical elements with shapes that everyone wanted to wear then and there, Ingvar Helgason and Susanne Ostwald presented a collection that more than lived up to the excitement of their New York Fashion Week debut.

The couple's starting point was the race to the South Pole waged between Norway and Great Britain in the early years of the 20th century. Icy blues and burnt orange were striped on thick knits, pulled long over ruffled mini skirts, like layers on an ice cap. Elsewhere, jacquard sweaters and printed crewnecks depicted Old World ships caught in the tentacles of thrashing sea creatures. Finished with sportier pieces, like cropped anoraks and ingenious translucent cube handbags, the collection was a breath of (icy) fresh air.

E-mail rae@openingceremony.us to be notified when the Fall/Winter 2012 collection arrives at OC!


FILED UNDER: NYFW , FW12 , NYFW FW12 , FASHION WEEK , NEW YORK , FASHION SHOW , OSTWALD HELGASON