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Marimekko DC Launch Party

May 14, 2007 by Svetlana

Marimekko has been making some of the world’s most beloved prints since 1951. God knows all of us design groupies at BYT are huge fans of all their work (vintage print Marimekko dresses rank pretty high on the lists of things we can be bribed with), so when BabsieD invited us to the Marimekko store Spring/Summer 2007 launch, we put on our best dresses and high tailed it to Silver Spring. Because, there was too much great for just one write up, we delegated around, and

this is how it went:

Holly on Housewares:

Marimekko’s application of pattern to everyday object design transforms the most mundane mug into a marvelous masterpiece. Their bed linens, towels, kitchen textiles and other accessories bear a brightly-colored mix of patterns that represent five decades of expert textile design. This season’s pattens range from the cheerful and whimsical (Unessa’s panda bears and Paaryna’s pop art pears) to the graphic and sophisticated (Fokus’s spirals of polka dots & Onni’s leafy greens).
The store contains a well-edited mix of the items currently available (though it is a little heavy on Unikko, the Warhol-esque flower pattern first seen in 1964), artfully arranged by color and function. The crown jewel of the store (at least in my opinion) is the fabric counter – its shelves reach at least seven feet high and are packed with countless types of textiles in a huge array of colors.
For design fans who are sick of Ikea, but are still working on a budget, Marimekko is a great way to own a piece of design history for not too much cash (mugs and towels can be had for as low as $10).

Morgan on Fashion:

in sheer number, marimekko’s s/s 07 clothing offerings are huge. besides offering their tried-and-true classic pieces (of which the shapes and colors are surprisingly NOW), six designers – ritva falla, mika piirainen, jukka rintala, jaana parkkila, samu-jussi koski ), and matti seppanen (the sole menswear designer) – each put together a collection based on their own individual aesthetics, and built on classic marimekko prints and designs.
the seppanen men’s range is small and a little too ‘express’ for my taste; guys will probably fare better with the more casual ‘classic’ offerings – or with marimekko’s bags which you can view here), of which many are totally unisex and universally appealing. in womenswear, the casual half of falla’s line is the most easily accessible – the bright colors and modern (sometimes experimental) shapes are far more appealing than anything in the rintala or parkkila ranges. don’t count out the other lines, though – at the opening on thursday night no less than six women were wearing black-and-white print dresses by piirainen, and the koski collection is the best of the bunch. its casual half features an oversized strawberry print on comfortable cotton and both dark and light wide-legged denim; the remainder of the collection is feminine and 60s-inspired without being overtly girly or too mod (if such a thing exists). our favorite dress of the night was the audreina (view here), and even though i can’t find the amazingly cut, perfectly shaped, khaki-colored marni-ish dress that i was drooling over at the opening in any of the lookbooks, i’d be willing to put money on the fact that it’s by koski, as well.
in all, marimekko’s huge spring/summer collection is far more hit than miss, and the silver spring store is well-stocked with the best of it – they had nearly every piece of the higher-end koski, and i saw more of the lines that didn’t quite get it right in the lookbook and online than i did in the shop. and it’s surprisingly affordable! well played, Finland.

Svetlana on the party:

So, of course, the other two ladies get the classy portions of this story. I am here only to tell you that we had fun (shocker, we know). The white wine was chilled (super kudos to the waitstaff keeping the glasses refreshed so the trips to the drink table were not too often), the cheese puffs were delicious and the press gift bags were everything we hoped for (themselves Marimekko printed, and perfect for summer toting, with some exclusive image bank accesses, some finely printed household accessories, and a sample bottle of Snow white vodka we felt particularly grateful for at the moment, and yet cursed it the next morning.
The crowd was a fine mix of generations and cross over iconoclastic patterns (if not in Marimekko people mingled in Lily Pulitzer prints, Yves Klein (electric) blue gowns and a DVF wrap or two) and the bed display allowed for some ease of rest.
Which, several wine refreshments in, we definetly needed. We even managed to take some photos for you to peruse:
starring: fabulous fabrics, bright lights and some exceptional facial hair:

view some more coverage at: DC Culture and Fashion, DC Celine AND OF COURSE, Morgan’s very own PandaHead

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