November 19, 2009
To Do: The Science of Style
Gulper eels, electrons and other strangely beautiful scientific imagery obsesses Chicago designer Abigail Glaum-Lathbury. But that doesn’t mean that her sculptural skirts, cowl-necked dresses and what seem to be Victorian biker jackets belong in a fusty lab. They’re feminine, quirky and just a little bit avant garde, the sort of pieces as fit for a night of gallery-hopping as much as a well-dressed day in the office. “I think these things are beautiful,” says Glaum-Lathbury. “Nature’s solutions to things really influence my work.” See her fall collection of shapely skirts and waist-flattering coats, plus a preview of spring, during a trunk show Fri from 2-8 p.m. and Sat. from 12-7 p.m. at Proper Topper’s Dupont Store. Sign me up for one of the drapey-necked jackets, and oh, that terrific dress with the cantilevered, Frank Lloyd Wright-ish pleats down the back. —Jennifer Barger
