Petar Petrov’s clothes are the kind that whisper rather than shout: Meticulously crafted from the world’s finest fabrics, and always offering just the right amount of directional flair, his collections are designed entirely on his own terms at his studio base outside the four fashion capitals in Vienna. So it was a delight to see him lean into his more playful instincts this season, thanks to a deliberately absurd look book that showcased not only his fantastic clothes, but also his wry sense of humor.
Just take the opening look: one of Petrov’s signature oversized leather jackets, here with slits at the side so it can be belted and customized according to the wearer, styled with just a pair of stilettos and two enormous baguettes stuffed through the shoulder epaulettes. Elsewhere, you’ll find models clutching bananas like pistols, posing with lettuces and gourds strewn by their feet, and balancing tomatoes on their heads. “Fashion doesn’t always need to be serious,” Petrov says with a grin over Zoom. “I think we need to see everything with a bit more lightness, with a bit more joy, and not be afraid of people saying they don’t like something. We should never be afraid to fail, and I think, at the moment, it’s really important to grab the customer in a more emotional way.”
If there’s one thing Petrov’s loyal clientele feels towards his clothes, it’s a sense of emotional attachment—and they’ll find plenty to fall for here: breezy shirtdresses cut from sand-washed silk featuring adjustable bands at the waist to be worn higher or lower, or draped on the fly; a coat dress with a cape-like detail at the back that managed to be both feminine and strangely powerful; a new version of a hoodie that debuted last season, cut in a circular shape to protectively cocoon the body. There was plenty of killer tailoring too: not least a fabulous black blazer, styled here with a floral brooch, that featured dramatically oversized pockets that become part of the silhouette.
It’s all part and parcel with Petrov’s broader philosophy, which offers a 360-degree wardrobe that can be built over the seasons, thanks to the designer’s keen consideration of how each collection will dovetail with pieces from years past. “I always see the collection as an evolution, from season to season,” he says. “The weather makes things challenging—there aren’t really winter and summer collections anymore. You can have snow in May, but you can have also 30 degrees in April. So at the moment, the seasons need to be redefined a bit.” It’s a conclusion he reached after talking to—and trying on the clothes with—the women in his studio. “For me, it’s always interesting to be inspired by my friends, clients, and what the women around me want to wear,” he adds.
The word that recurred most often throughout our conversation was “generosity:” generosity of proportion, generosity of the fabric in its drapes and twists, and the broader generosity of clothes that never feel uptight. Yet that didn’t stop Petrov from bringing in a few bolder moments at the end of the collection to reflect the more outlandish styling of the look book: a final look featured a hooded silk blouse and denim trousers in slightly different shades of a sumptuous burnt orange, like a sartorial tequila sunrise. “Personally, I like more muted colors, but I wanted that freshness this time,” Petrov says. “I wanted to let in the sunlight.”
