Designer draws on personal ritual and tailoring for latest offering
Gabriela Hearst’s latest Resort collection includes references to tarot, part of a broader study she is undertaking to influence her next three seasonal releases. Hearst, who has been drawing cards daily, noted three cards that have yet to appear: “The Lover card, Chariot and Satiety — the one about being satisfied,” she said.
Hearst’s focus remains on garment construction, which she credited as a key factor behind the brand’s 65 percent repeat visit rate in retail stores. One of her ongoing commercial successes is a line of cashmere knits embroidered with glass beads.
Tarot themes appeared in limited form within the collection, mostly through color choices such as green, blue, and pink, which Hearst linked to creativity, wisdom, and love, respectively. The primary emphasis was on sharp tailoring and knitwear, worn in the look book by model Malgosia Bela.
Hearst became interested in tarot during her teenage years and now gravitates toward the deck created by Aleister Crowley. Despite the spiritual framing of the collection, her preferred designs this season were minimal. “It looks like a cotton T-shirt, but it feels like heaven,” she said, describing a basic cashmere look.
The collection maintained a casual tone, reinforced by materials and styling. Bela was shown tying the sleeves of a double-face coat around her waist, wearing tank dresses with platinum necklaces, or styling a reversible trench with ease. Fabric selection — including recycled Italian denim and suede — extended into items Hearst labeled as unisex, such as jean jackets and suiting.
For Hearst, tarot is a tool that connects creative and personal development. She said the practice aids her design process and allows for introspection. “Most of our strife is always mental, and very little translates to the physical world,” she said. “So in a way, I use the tarot to master the brain, because visualization is the best way to change your brain, to change your thought process. And if you change your brain, your whole life changes.”
