The Tanner Fletcher boys have swapped a cabin in the woods for one by the lake.
After debuting their Cabinwear diffusion line last fall, affianced designers Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell put a nautical twist on the concept for spring.
During a preview appointment at their Chelsea showroom, Richie let slip that their wedding ceremony will take place in New England. “We’ve been traveling around there so much, so we knew we wanted to do a collection based on that.”
Easier to reach than their homes in the Midwest, New England is where he and Kasell can go totally off-the-grid. “But we’re not, like, coastal people,” Richie rebutted. “It’s more of a vibe.” And like all the nostalgic American “vibes” Tanner Fletcher plays with, their lineup was equal parts camp and cutesy — coastal cosplay for decidedly noncoastal people.
There were sailor dresses and cracker-jack trousers paired with sleeveless scarf-neck tops, which should be a hit with Hollywood hunks (Connor Storrie, here’s looking at you).
Fancy a dip? TF has you covered with belted briefs in patriotic colors, and for the first time, one-pieces for the ladies. Kasell said they’re easing into athletic apparel, but holding up a pair of silk boxing shorts, clarified: “You don’t want to break sweat in them. This is diva athletics.”
Elsewhere, knits came embroidered with boats and berries, nodding to New England’s pick-your-own harvesting tradition, while stripes were jumbled together in clashing combos, a take on Ivy League prep, which continues to dominate the runways this season.
Tanner Fletcher is expanding at two ends like ships sailing in opposite directions: as Cabinwear becomes more accessible, eveningwear becomes less so.
Here, the duo zeroed in on polka dots for satin tailoring with organza overlay and a zanier version of Holly Golightly’s LBD from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
It would’ve been nice to see its Watteau-train waft down a runway, but we’ll have to settle for whatever’s keeping TF afloat financially. “We had our best month last month and if we did a show that definitely wouldn’t have happened,” Richie said.
