Highlight Studio AW23 | Paris Fashion Week
Hi-Fashion
For his latest collection, Israeli designer Or Yair Bitton finds inspiration in the ease and coziness of home fabrics and furnishings, imagining clothing that blurs the lines between private and family life, intimacy and public persona. Most pieces envelop the body like a warm embrace, evoking those reassuring moments of childhood when parents tuck their children into bed before telling them a new tale.
The overall silhouette is elongated and generous this season, with a slightly dropped shoulder defining the brand’s tailoring. Bitton’s been perfecting his signature shoulder shape, which is sharp but round at once, adding flair and a certain nonchalance to menswear staples. A creased double-breasted coat is worn like a bathrobe, with socks and soft suede sandals, designed in collaboration with Israeli footwear brand Teva Naot. An upcycled nylon parka coat transforms into a daily tote with matching handles, underlining the designer’s passion for transformable garments. A quilted single button blazer features an extended scarf collar, which wraps beautifully around the neck. Some of the proportions are deliberately askew or clumsy, evoking the image of a teenager rummaging through his father’s wardrobe. The timeless elegance of capes is translated into several pieces, from an oversized hooded poncho to a formal double-breasted wool number, underlining once again the importance of protection, as well as sheltering the body from external aggression and harm.
Sticking to his favorite tones, Bitton opts for a peaceful and neutral color palette, which ranges from beige, gray and camel to pure white, baby blue and nude. Fabrics are either noble or upcycled, including wool, nylon, cotton and quilted jersey, one of the collection’s key choices this season. The designer’s unusual sense of layering keeps his silhouette fresh and surprising, crafting a turtleneck dress made out of white jersey or a dramatic double-breasted silver layered coat, which reaches the floor and features two fabrics, emphasizing the idea of a work in progress. Once again, Highlight Studio focuses on sartorial hybridity and technical transformations, echoing the poetic metaphor of the chrysalis emerging as a butterfly, an appropriate analogy for a designer whose work keeps getting stronger and more directional each season.