Clover Canyon Spring/Summer 2016

The earth laughs in flowers.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

In our mind’s eye, we see the city as gray. But look again at the landscape around you, in whichever metropolis you reside. Look closely. Note the trees shaking off their still-green leaves. See the butterflies doing somersaults in the sunshine. Stoop to pick up a flower sure, some may call it a weed from the cracked asphalt where it’s taken seed.

Study the endlessness-upon-endlessness of the blue sky mirrored in glass of a skyscraper. Even in the city, nature will out. For Spring 2016, Clover Canyon celebrates the persistent bounty of nature, the way it flourishes even in the heart of urbanity.

To tell this story, Clover Canyon puts nature into sharp relief. Literally. This season, the clothes have gone 3D, with profusions of hand-beaded blossoms, fluttering laser-cut organza butterflies, embroidered paillettes as glimmering and fine as an insect’s wings.

The handwork is lavish here, from the micro-floral sequins to the large hammered epoxy ball-shaped beads.

Meanwhile, the signature Clover Canyon prints echo the urban nature themes, with trompe l’oeil florals and scenes of silhouetted birds flying over geometric skies. Silhouettes, too, play the organic against the architectural: Wavelike patchwork dresses in mesh and neoprene contrast fluted skirts with square handkerchief hems.

And other forms of yin-ying operate in this collection, as well the feminine yin of flounces and bias-cut drapes played against the yang of masculine pleated trousers or a dungaree dress of trompe l’oeil denim satin.

Yin: The sportiness of brightly hued, embellished cotton shirting, part of a new cotton group for Clover Canyon. Yang: The use of the poorboy ribbed knit in maxi tee-shirt dresses with a romantic, voluminous sweep. This season, Clover Canyon makes continuity of opposites, much as nature paints itself into the gray edifices of city life, creating a seamless tableau.