At Helmut Lang, Cool Sweats and a Joan Didion Dress

It’s been nearly a year since Peter Do started at Helmut Lang, and now that he’s showing his fourth collection — resort 2025 — for the Fast Retailing-owned brand, his vision is crystallizing.

After establishing suiting, shirting and utility looks as part of the brand DNA, this season he played up softer, more versatile casualwear, including layerable garment dyed terry sweats, the signature Helmut Lang tank stretched into a column dress, and cloud jersey pieces with adjustable tabs to raise or lower lengths. It was a good move, one that made Helmut Lang less intimidating and runway-stiff.

“This drops in November/December so I was thinking about what you going to wear at that time in New York when it is so bipolar because you are either going upstate, going away to relax, or you are at a party. So this is the answer to that,” Do said.

The new jeans come in an elevated flocked velvet designed to dégradé, or with a relaxed cocoon leg and a forgiving elastic waist that’s “easier to wear over Thanksgiving,” Do said. He also put his stamp on pajama dressing with an “HL” monogram pajama shirt, pants and pleated skirt set.

In between pajamas, sweats and denim and leather tuxedo looks were a number of soft dressing pieces, including an elegant white asymmetrical cloud jersey tunic and pants look, and a black, chunky textured hand-embroidered sequin sweater dress that Do associated with Joan Didion’s slouchy chic.

“I’m really leaning into the casual approach because I feel like that’s how the majority of people dress. You’ll see more fabric development and innovations in terms of fabric being machine washable and things like that. For me this easy care Helmut is the new luxury,” Do said.

Even the dressy looks had dress down versatility; a great-looking black tail coat and white tail shirt paired back to jeans.

“Now the conversations around the brand are less about the concept and more about the clothes. So for me, the next few seasons are about honing our signatures and making sure that they are represented in every single retail partner and every door that we have,” Do said. “It’s going to take some time for people to understand this is Peter’s chapter. These are the codes that he made.”