Review of Gabriela Hearst Fall 2023 Fashion Show
An Ode to Gray
By Obi Anyanwu
Eileen Gray is not the first name to come to mind when listing furniture designers. Le Corbusier, Bruer, Rams, Eames, Hansen—men tend to get mentioned first for their contribution in design, and just about everything for that matter, but of course, behind every great man is a great woman.
Gabriela Hearst looked to Gray’s designs for inspiration for her Fall/Winter 2023 collection
Born in Ireland, Gray worked closely with Le Corbusier and J.J.P. Oud, and exhibited chrome, steel tube and glass furniture the same year as Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Bruer and before Le Corbusier as well, according to the designer’s bio.
Designer Gabriela Hearst looked to Gray’s designs for inspiration for her Fall/Winter 2023 collection that doubles as an education for those with an entry and/or rich interior design taste but may not know about influential figures in the field like Gray.
The leathers and suede fabrics are as luxurious as the Day Bed and Bibendum and Transat lounge chairs, meanwhile sweaters with color blocked patterns hearken to Gray’s rug designs. The closest one-to-one design reference is seen on a jacquard knit sweaters and skirts, leather coat and few handbags that share a paneled pattern similar to Gray’s Brick Screen, one of her best-known pieces that is in the MoMA’s permanent designer collection.
Hearst reapplied Gray’s timeless work for a brilliant collection that could transcend eras too.
Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura also referenced the reflective nature of the Brick Screen in the stage design.
The wonderful aspect of exquisite design is that it translates across mediums. Hearst reapplied Gray’s timeless work for a brilliant collection that could transcend eras too.