Toteme’s Elin Kling and Karl Lindman once again touched down in New York with their understated and refined take on Swedish minimalism. Now based in Stockholm, the brand was actually founded in New York and once called it home.
“It feels very special and quite nostalgic,” Lindman said backstage. The husband and wife showed at The Pool in the landmarked Seagram Building, the go-to spot for a proper New York power lunch.
When the duo lived here it was the spot to which they came to celebrate moments in their lives. “We love this idea of Park Avenue, the modernism, obviously quite stylish,” he said. “The room is perfectly square, like our monograph.”
On the seats the collection notes spoke of distilling undone beauty, with Kling adding backstage that “bringing more raw elements in and lived-in textures that you can see,” like on a crinkled leather dress and loose knits. “It has quite an ease to it this season,” she added. The undone came via handbags left open, or little raw edges on the straps of wispy knit tanks — subtle ideas on letting go, but still utterly refined.
The lineup was in bright white and black, with a knit dress over transparent slips adding a bit of langour. Satin was a primary fabric, with its lustrous fluidity well explored in incredible cigarette pants and trenchcoats reimagined in the evening fabric with blouson sleeves. Undone as it may have been, there were moments of Scandinavian strictness. A compact knit V-neck sweater hugged a super-size striped men’s button-down, for instance. “I guess that lands in some sort of control still, a sharp control that is very much Toteme,” she said of the idea.
Toteme launched bags three years ago with their popular T-lock styles (many women in attendance were carrying one) and the runway showed their commitment to grow the category with a range of ideas — black and white leather envelope clutches, top-handle lady bags, and a couple of raffia styles in cream and white. They would be good companions for a day at the beach, and several models indeed carried towels with their handbags.
The finale took the beach vibe up a notch, with compact knits in bodysuit and one-piece swim silhouettes, the models cocooning in Swedish lace cover-ups. Not exactly swim, but Kling said it’s a category that she’s looking to bring to the market.
A noble simplicity but never rigid, the spring lineup spoke to why the brand has hit such a strong stride — opening a second store in New York last year, a second one in London this summer and a new flagship in Beijing.
Theirs is a study in modern ease. Toteme’s minimalism feels both exacting and undone — an urban wardrobe distilled to its purest form.