Philosophy F/W 13 review. A Mongolian Princess in 1950’s Paris

New York, 13th February 2013
For her runway debut at Philosophy, Natalie Ratabesi has returned romance. Explaining her attraction to Paris in the 1950s, the height of haute couture, she says, “to me, it’s timeless.”
Full skirts fall gracefully to just below the knee, modernized by cozy, oversized sweaters that take the place of jackets, while feminine dresses, flare out from gently nipped waists. Mongolia enters the picture via the subtle tribal motif of an angora knit or the swirling ikat print of a pantsuit.
Never forgetting that the Philosophy client lives in the 21st century here-and-now, Ratabesi balances out the collection with a little shearling jacket in midnight, and versatile two-in-one parkas cut from nearly weightless printed neoprene, with functional zippers at the waist.
Ratabesi brings years of work experience in the studios at John Galliano, Oscar de la Renta, and Ralph Lauren to Philosophy. That experience uniquely qualifies her to reinvigorate this brand for today.
To see all the looks, click here