Photography by Steven Rose for Spring / Summer 2010

Tom Scott wants you to have a casual and comfortable spring. His ready-to-wear collection is full of cottons and drapery that probably just look better as they get worn in. The Ralph Lauren alum has been making strides ever since winning an Ecco Domani award in 2007. While lately he’s catapulting his brand into the future (in September the first Tom Scott store opened in the Lower East Side, and he’s launching a collection of archived designs this year), Scott looked to the past to inspire his Spring 2010 collection. Influenced by “some of the old-fashioned things you can find in your grandmother’s house”, the knitwear designer translated curtains, bed linens, even hair nets, into clothing. The details of striped bedsheets and ruffled textiles appear in sweatshirts; the visage of sheer drapes emerges in delicate tops and holey sweaters. The pieces even bear names like “Twisted Curtain Top” and “Valance Sleeve Cardigan”. In this collection Scott refreshes old-fashioned elements without leaning on a retro sensibility. He relies on the accessibility of comfort; the touchable fabrics in muted colors and slouchy-not-sloppy designs help establish a mood and lifestyle for the brand without departing from reality. Even the presentation for the collection was inviting. At the Chelsea Hotel Scott orchestrated a tableau of models playing house and lounging in a living dollhouse. Scott has declined to follow trends and has just given us clothes to truly live in.