Cult Gaia designer Jasmin Larian Hekmat is aware that her brand is mostly resort and vacation wear—so to challenge herself for fall she decided to venture beyond summery dresses, and experiment with heavier staples like outerwear, denim, and knits. “I love a good challenge, so I was like, what would I wear in New York in the fall-winter,” said Hekmat, who wanted to take on seasonal staples in a fresh, modern way. “I wanted her to feel like this powerful goddess.”
The designer’s inspiration this season was Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Hekmat took the painting’s gilded, golden feel and applied it to bags, including a sculptural acrylic style with golden foil encased inside of it. Another statement bag featured colorful rock molds all over it, to match the artwork’s baroque feel, while the Goddess clutch was shaped into the form of a golden bust.
The bold bags were to be expected (Cult Gaia began as a bag brand, after all)—but outerwear is an intriguing new category for her for Hekmat. In the mix were a plush faux fur teddy coat, a looped-wool cashmere coat, and a reversible chocolate trench with patent on one side, shearling on the other—a coat so good you could eat it. She also experimented with denim, including a seamed pair of jeans with just the right amount of updates. (The cropped bolero jacket, in contrast, looked a tad trickier to wear.)
Elsewhere, Hekmat gave her dresses some cold-weather flourishes. A high-neckline, long-sleeved number featured a twisted waistline and side cutouts. There was also the refined knit dress with an attached fringed scarf, and a fully-beaded patchwork LBD that had hefty weight to it. For evening, a strapless deep-green mini dress was created with turkey feathers, and black sweetheart gown featured an ab-bearing cutout and bowed hemline. “Bows are like pearls—they’re timeless,” said Hekmat. Given that celebrities have been wearing Cult Gaia all summer long, the designer shared who she could envision wearing such pieces come fall. “Hailey Bieber—I love her pregnancy style,” said Hekmat. We would have to agree.