Images by John de Lima

Ashish whisked us away on a magical tour through Central Asia and the fictional fashionland of “Ashishistan” for fall. According to the show notes, our heroine is “an oligarch’s daughter…who recently gave up winters spent huddled round a yak dung fire for lazy days in the Mediterranean sunshine with the Abramovitchs as neighbors. And yet as autumn approaches, her mind turns to home.”

This translated as chunky knits thrown over slinky sequined eveningwear; full dirndl skirts and harem pants with generous paperbag waistlines; and lots of bright pixelated patterns inspired by Turkmen rugs, which made the collection pop in the way only Ashish knows how.

Mannish coats and trousers in heavy tweeds contrasted with finer silks and sexy nightwear. Hair was woven with pink or green and loosely plaited over one shoulder, and there was a grungy, early ’90s feel to the styling, with sloppy beanie hats, fingerless gloves and plenty of slouchy layering.

Despite the fantastical storytelling and eclectic references, this was actually a surprisingly wearable collection. The skillful mix of daywear and eveningwear, and masculine and feminine cues made for an artfully thrown together, mismatched look that felt totally modern.

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