In the checkerboard hallways of a stately palatial home in Pennsylvanian, Zimmermann’s models, playing as young debutants, descend a forest-green staircase lined by ornate balustrades. It’s here in this singular frame that the Zimmermann sisters, Nicky and Simone, unveil their playfully nostalgic Resort ‘24 collection.
Starry-eyed and buoyed by the endless possibilities the balmy season provides, the melange of models dressed in covetable new season pieces each enter the marble one by one as if each making their grand entrance into the upper echelon of high society for a ball-like fête set to change the trajectory of their lives forever.
A fitting sequence for the collection aptly titled “Matchmaker” collection, with Nicky Zimmermann — the younger of the two fashion juggernauts and creative director of the adventurously grandiose luxuriate — revealing to GRAZIA the dreamy occasion-wear line-up derives from a soirée for star-crossed lovers.
“I looked to old photos of 1950s dance halls as the starting point for our Resort season and loved the sense of optimism and exuberance – people dancing, smiling, and laughing, with this wonderful sense of escapism,” Zimmermann explained. “I decided to dig a little deeper and discovered the dancehall was a place where so many people from the era found love… I thought it was just fabulous.”
Over 41 looks, this notion of a party transcended in a time — a place where people come to make their mark and find their match on the dance floor — is examined through mid-century silhouettes recontextualized for the modern jet-setter.
Hawaiian-inspired barkcloth fabrics saturate the collection, spotted on halter neck dresses accented by protruding hips, and tropical button-up shirts glistening with sparkling appliqué. The sorbet-hued hibiscus motif even finds its way onto mules and gilded bandanas.
The brand’s signature intricate gowns and sets seep a rich undertone to the party wear, with A-line dresses woven with delicate floral motifs or asymmetrical bias-cut skirts embroidered with crochet doilies, invoking a sense that these are the treasured pieces that a woman in the 1950s would’ve reserved as future heirlooms. “
Each collection is entirely different; inspiration varies greatly from season to season,” Zimmermann noted. “Often, it’s my personal experiences and memories that are a starting point – or it’s an opportunity for me to tell a story through a collection.”
Here, the story is one of jubilation, with the narrative of the collection taking us through the many merits of the life of the party. Indeed, this collection is not for the wallflower waiting on the sidelines for someone to ask them to dance, but rather proving that Zimmermann is a brand boasting with bravado.
“Resort is always a favourite collection for our team – it just sits nicely in the greater context of our aesthetic and allows us to share ideas that are key for our brand – holiday dressing, and great summer events at the end of the year. We just try to keep it really fun.” Mission accomplished.
The back half of the collection—the tuxedo styles, carpenter-esque separates and boyish beatnik crop tops all lean into Zimmermann’s vivid world of dancehalls during the atomic age. The plot, as Zimmermann herself described, takes form in “the movement of skirt twirling whilst dancing, juxtaposed by the toughness of the boyish rolled sleeves and clashes of style.”
“These themes and silhouettes, along with the jubilant atmosphere of dance halls from the era (perceptible even through still images) served as a reference and informed the mood of the collection overall,” Zimmermann recounts.
Still, in a collection so cohesive as this, where tiger-print shoes pave the way for a strapless tiger-print gown completed with a golden-age of cinema-approved bow, the delicate minutia of the collection is rooted in this transient sensibility.
“This collection incorporates sculptural 3D flowers, paper daisy adornments and skirts with hand gathering at the waist. And some fun jewelry detailing – jazz motifs and symbols, tambourines – smaller touches that allow us to further evoke the story and overall mood,” Zimmermann explains of these bespoke, intentional touches.
And while the digital runway doesn’t show where the models end their journey, Zimmermann herself hints at where Zimmermann woman can go to find her modern-day match. “I have no idea…but I hope they are having a great time wherever that may be!
Discover the collection now at Zimmermann.com.
