Spring Fashion Preview

Rag & Bone designers search for simpler life with Zen-meets-Walking Dead collection

While many designers are touting big florals, bright colors and wild embellishments for spring 2015, Rag & Bone designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville are going a different route. Instead they are offering a collection that's almost Zen-like in its beauty and simplicity, although it has a bit of a militaristic edge.

It's like Walking Dead meets yoga class. Maybe that's the sign of the times.

Working with monochromatic colors — shades of white, navy, black and beige — with a dash of army olive and a palm-print camouflage pattern in brown and white, Wainwright and Neville present a polished, pared-down line with an emphasis on natural fabrics. It feels right for their urban customer who doesn't want a lot of muss and fuss in this crazy, chaotic world.

There are virtually no preppy hipster looks for which the brand is known. Instead, the collection features clean, calm styles, such as floaty long dresses, sleeveless long tunic coats over pants and oversized blazers closed with a strap instead of buttons. There are also ready-to-rumble looks — judo pants with a long leather tank top and a military vest and slouchy pants in army green silk — perfect for hand-to-hand combat with zombies or whatever an apocalyptic future might bring.

One particularly distinctive look draws from both sides of the collection, with a pleated skirt that looks like a pair of pants from the mid-thigh up, worn with a cotton crop top.

Outerwear is a highlight, with some terrific parkas in white cotton or a distinctive camo pattern, a stunning navy cropped double-breasted jacket, a tan trench with contrasting white buttons and olive belt, and a cool-looking quilted hoodie.

Many looks are worn with thick black-and-white sandals or two-tone tennies with Velcro straps and close-to-the-body satchels for a street-style vibe that feels comfortably urban.

Rag & Bone Elsa crop top, Brooke skirt in natural cotton sateen bright white leather combo, Jude convertible bag and Kent Velcro shoes.

Photo courtesy of Rag & Bone

Rag & Bone Elsa crop top, Brooke skirt in natural cotton sateen bright white leather combo, Jude convertible bag and Kent Velcro shoes.

unspecified

Costume News

Jane Austen film fashions take spotlight at Dallas-Fort Worth museum

Courtesy photo

Emma

A new exhibit at the Arlington Museum of Art will celebrate the 250th birthday of beloved author Jane Austen with a distinctly Hollywood touch. Called Dressed for the Drawing Room: Fashion in Jane Austen’s World, the exhibit will showcase costumes and jewelry from film adaptations of two of Austen's most iconic works: Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Emma (2020).

The exhibit, which will run from January 9 to March 22, 2026, will be presented in partnership with Jane Austen Society of North America - North Texas Chapter, a nonprofit dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen and her writing, with costumes loaned from NBCUniversal Archives & Collection.

By bringing costumes and accessories from two important films in the Austen world, the exhibition hopes to immerse visitors in the elegant and often politically charged world of fashion during the Regency era.

“Literature, film, and costuming are all important expressions of time, place, and identity,” says AMA Director of Exhibitions Kendall Quirk in a statement. “Jane Austen’s novels are full of observations of the time period she was living in. Using costume to portray these subtleties of the Regency era highlights how important details are. We hope visitors experience costumes from their favorite Austen films and gain a better understanding of what each costume signified for the characters.”

Pride and Prejudice costumes will be part of the exhibit. Courtesy photo

Written in 1813, Pride and Prejudice was about a tumultuous courtship between Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, who initially dislike each other before falling in love. The 2005 film starred Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, and was praised for the chemistry between its two stars as well as its stunning visuals and modern feel. It earned its costumer designer Jacqueline Durran considerable attention for her work, including an Oscar nomination in 2006 for Best Achievement in Costume Design.

Set in 1800s England, Emma was about Emma Woodhouse, a well-meaning but selfish young woman who meddled as a matchmaker in her friends' love lives. The 2020 film version starred Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, and earned costumer designer Alexandra Byrne an Oscar nomination in 2021 for Best Achievement in Costume Design.

The exhibition is free (and the museum does not charge admission). It is the latest in a series of similar Hollywood-themed shows hosted by the Arlington Museum of Art in recent years including Disney memorabilia, Wicked, and Game of Thrones.

galleries museums movies fashion costumes