One thing Stella Ishii and her team at 6397 have nailed down over the last couple of seasons is their elongated, oversized, nonchalant, tomboy-ish proportions. They have an eye for extending the body by subtly tapering their cut, and have perfected the art of a relaxed fit that just about skims the body, progressively hanging away from the shape while also creating a cocooning sense of protection.
Spring saw them move in on this sensibility even further. There was a casual sense of ease to their just-about-oversized shirting and pants, particularly the jeans and lightweight trousers made from what the team calls a “crispy cotton,” which is a thin, minimally crinkled airy cotton fabric. Ditto the “utility dress” in a tank shape with an A-line cut flaring to the ankle and the soft, their unlined tailoring made out of a weightless Italian tropical wool.
Ishii is focused on building on a wardrobe season after season, so she looks to perfect her staples and create novelty with a pragmatic intention. 6397 is low-key; as Ishii said at a showroom appointment, it’s not a brand that needs a runway show or big presentation: these are clothes that benefit from customers and buyers alike having to go see them to appreciate them. For this same reason, Ishii likes to spend time at their store in Nolita, observing the types of women that walk in to buy her clothes. She describes them as professional women, “not girls,” who are not swayed by trends, as hers is not a trendy collection.
Nonetheless, Ishii is hitting many of today’s overarching trends. There’s a relaxed tomboyness to the cut of her clothes, a few workwear inspired details, and a focus on elevating basics and reimagining essentials just enough so that they feel new. Oh, and if you’re wondering about the pins and patches scattered throughout the collection, she placed them to make the vibe of the lookbook “a bit less serious.” A favorite of her team is a white patch placed on a white cardigan that reads “we try harder.” Season after season, Ishii and team do just that, and it shows.
