H&M Studio’s proposition for spring 2024 is desk-to-desert, rather than desk-to-dinner dressing. Options for the latter do exist within the collection, but overall the idea is getting away from it all. “The dreaming of traveling… is really something that can free your mind; it’s liberating in that sense,” said Ann-Sofie Johansson, the company’s creative advisor. Some of the looks in the lineup would make for suitable music festival fare, but the vibe, which was inspired by Lana del Rey, was tinged with a bit of melancholy. Also in the mix: Jack Kerouac and Zabriskie Point, the Death Valley location made famous by the Michelangelo Antonioni movie of the 1970 same name.
This collection is less geared toward partying than the past few have been. For spring, the team explored the 1970s moment when separates and soft dressing emerged, as well as the “long and lean silhouette” that Johansson finds so attractive. Several of these strands came together in a stretchy maxi dress with tucks gathered into a half-circle inset at one side (resembling the sun). It would look smashing paired with a sky-blue leather midi coat; both aim to capture the desert sky at different times of day. Ease was also worked into roomy tailoring. A modish python-print mini-shift with a deep neckline took things in a sharper direction.
The jeans offering included a washed denim shirt and jeans. The latter have the slightly higher waist and flared legs that ABBA preferred, back in the day. It just so happens that 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Swedish group’s “Waterloo” Eurovision win.