September 10, 2018
by Liana Satenstein
The color palette was a bit shocking today at Yeohlee. Unlike past seasons, the collection this time was dominated by bright hues. (There was not one piece of the usual black fabric. The only pieces remotely dark were two denim items.) The timing for designer Yeohlee Teng to take a sunnier route could not have been better: The last week has been overcast and rainy. The collection opened with a citrus-color oversize shirtdress and a pair of wide-leg gingham cotton trousers in tones of blue, moss green, and orange. Call it a ray of light. That gingham piece was later translated into a vacation-minded jumper worn under a white linen jacket with a scooped neck and a detachable hood that hung like a mantilla veil.
Welcomed bursts of color aside, the most surprising aspect of the collection was the slivers of sexiness that made peekaboo appearances. One of the best pieces was a slinky denim tank top. It came slightly cropped, with two thin straps that made an X on the back. For some of that late-’90s goodness that is all very now, it was paired with a low-slung pin-striped skirt that was pulled down to the hips to reveal the midriff. Another version of that barely-there tank came in pinstripes with a very Teng zero-waste touch, boasting an exposed selvage as the top trim.
Teng said the collection’s new mood was inspired by a number of things, from the colors of metals and shells to a fighter-pilot friend—see the dreamy tropical-print jumpsuit—but really, it all came down to this: “I wanted to know what clothes do for people and how they make people feel.” A happy little string tank top infused with her sustainable philosophy is something that will make its wearer feel and look very good.