N°8. (Lady Keith)
How does one define the timeless and can we ever capture the eternal? These are the central questions that Victor Anate dares to answer in No. 8 (Lady Keith). “I wanted to explore the fifty years wearing timeline; one most likely involving three generations of women, having pieces that will serve each wearer amidst the stylistic waves of each decade. I wanted to explore these ideas from the standpoint of a couturier but with couture viewed as a spirit, a vibe, while still maintaining the lightness I associate with traditional haute couture.”
The Lady Keith, referenced in the parentheses is Slim Keith, the fabled American socialite who from her debut in café society to her death in 1990 was consistently viewed as one of the world’s best dressed.  “I’m a great believer in the simplicity of clothes” Lady Keith once said. Her preferred silhouette: streamlined, tailored with a soupcon of the sportive was often imitated and still has resonance today.
Anate’s design thesis is centered on the patrician woman in town with an impeccable pedigree by way of Lagos. Anate explains “We live in the tropics, a place that is so beautiful, close to the sea. ravishing really, but also hot and intense.” And so, he proposes separates that oscillate between gossamer light blouses paired with trousers that are tailored to precision but allow for movement and flow. The gown; so often viewed as the prelude and punctuation point of a woman’s allure comes in a cornucopia of lengths and treatments, with Anate aiming for an electrifying response that compels future generations to return to the piece and commune with the alchemical transformation it promises—no need for a fairy godmother, just a grandmother who was previously THAT GIRL. The body is revealed and concealed on the wearer’s terms, and self-tying bows hint at the role personal agency plays in myth-making with energy and easy elegance, like genes, merely passed on.
Similar to the symbol for ‘infinity’ that the figurative number 8 resembles, Anate’s quest for ‘forever-wear’ in his latest collection, is also an invitation to accept and relish fully the ‘you that you are presently’. These are not pieces for the fearful and undecided or those in seeking to stay on top of an IG carousel of trends. These are pieces for the discerning and confident, who can cite their wants and desires and lineage nonchalantly and who move through the world with an assured confidence that cannot be diminished. As for the drop model employed for the collection? Just call it a contemporary shout-out for the woman who cannot wait to shock and awe right now, and has a calendar filled six months ahead that requires pieces to match it.
         
                                                                                                       - Mazzi Odu