Strong, architectural, and all the while feminine, Kaylee Tankus began in 2004 with Korean designer Kay Lee’s modern take on beauty.
The label has been described in terms not usually employed in the literature of women’s fashion. Words like “bleak,” “edgy,” “rugged” and “tough” pepper descriptions of Kaylee Tankus designs, though such vocabulary is balanced by references to the label’s use of flowing, natural fabrics, and soft silhouettes.
There’s an austerity to Kaylee Tankus’ styles, but there’s an elegance as well. In an interview with HG2, Lee cited cubism, orientalism and the works of Swedish artist Leo Wellmar as inspiration behind the line.
Like Wellmar’s oil paintings of barren winter landscapes, Kaylee Tankus plays with the contrasts between soft and harsh, black and white, contemporary and natural. The result is a sort of feminine sophistication uncluttered by impractical details or unnatural additions.
That interplay between bleak and beautiful also figures in the influences behind Kaylee Tankus’ Fall/Winter collection for 2010. This time, the aesthetic arose from “the savage beauty of the highland wilderness.”
The Kaylee Tankus design philosophy should not be interpreted as one that doesn’t include romance. On the contrary, Eastern influences appear in dramatic details, and sumptuous silks and velvets are elegantly draped, or worked into loose frills.
It’s just that the line is much more reflective of womanhood than it is of girlishness, and there is no room in its aesthetic for silliness or frivolity.
Joining the label in 2004, current creative director Minjee Kim has picked up where Kay Lee left off. With a background in architecture, she, like Lee, has found inspiration beyond the runway for a look that plays on simple, beautiful design and structure more than on passing trends.
Citing influences like architects Gaudí and Zaha Hadid, and futuristic designers Rick Owens and Sharon Wauchob, Kim told New York magazine: “[My customer] is not afraid of expressing herself, trying intriguing and experimental styles. She is confident with her own sense of style, yet never overdone.”
All images in this post were shot and styled exclusively by The Volts.
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