johnson hartig and cindy greene launched libertine in 2001 to much critical and commercial success. the line, which is a mix of prep, punk & reworked vintage, had a top designer fan in karl lagerfeld and even spurred a target go international collection in 2007 (you’ll be able to get some of the pieces when target does a best of go collections sale starting next month.) even after all of the positives, greene left in the fall of 2009. now hartig is back with libertine’s first runway show after two years away, and the clothes felt just as fresh as they did back then.
hartig took bracelet sleeve lady coats, chanel-like bouclé suits, pencil skirts, and shift dresses and silkscreened on top with a contrasting color plaid. the color combinations were definitely electric–fuchsia and red, acid yellow and orange, cobalt blue and black. the colorblocking wasn’t confined to the clothes–tights were also overprinted, and the shoes were chunky heeled tri-color oxfords. hartig threw in some grey tweeds, sequin cocktail dresses and metallic embroidered blazers to temper all the color, but the color was the best thing about the show. it was feminine, flirty, and fun, and the acid colors are the perfect antidote to any gloomy winter day.
pics from style.com
