Timo Weiland Grows Up for Fall 2011

Photo: Imaxtree

Yesterday morning, at The Box in Lincoln Center, Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein showed their most mature collection yet, though that's not to say it was lacking imagination. "The inspiration was a fictional trip that Gloria Vanderbilt and Keith Richards took to colonial India in the 1960s," Timo told us. "They came back looking like this."

The results of this imagined trip were elegant, sophisticated, whimsical, and unique, because we're pretty sure no one else had the same inspiration, but also because of the experimentation with fabrics and original prints that are becoming their signature. In one look, a purple pleated dress is paired with a purple fur hand muff and bright, multi-colored  full-length jacket. Danlly Domingo, who helped create the print for the jacket (which also made its way onto two dresses), told us "the jumping off point was a Himalayan landscape during a wintery sunset. Timo's team had already created the foundation for it, and I essentially went in and worked with the layers of color to create something less literal and more abstract." On the other end of the spectrum, in a more subdued color palette, were simple boxy wool jackets and `70s-inspired suiting, with interesting details like a fur cuff or print accent.

"We really worked so hard on this collection around the clock," said Timo, "we wanted to be more developed into what we are and what we want to be. I think it's always an evolution with us. We didn't want to ever get bored or ever make our customer bored."

Clearly, a lot went into this collection, Timo and Alan's fourth, and it's fun to watch a young design team develop and get better with each season. So, what's next? "Our focus now is sales, said Alan, "Asia would be an amazing market to break into and we love Europe, but I don't think we're ready for Europe yet." They'd better get ready, as a collaboration with a major British retailer is currently in the works.