Damir Doma is something of a poet when it comes to design, penning thoughtful compositions that border on the surreal. And his spring collection was no exception, by turns draped and boxy, sci-fi and samurai, soft and angular.

The designer’s explanation of the collection echoed similarly colliding paradigms. Among the guff in the press notes, Doma quoted German poet and artist Max Ernst, who once said, “Collage is the noble conquest of the irrational.”

But how did all this rhetoric pan out on the catwalk? Doma used a palette and color blocking not unlike Max Ernst’s surrealist paintings. His leggy mannequins were turned out in peacock-hued silks, offset by white, black, burnt sienna and khaki. Picking up on dichotomies again, Doma’s silhouettes vacillated between boxy numbers and hourglass figures, with models sporting fat belts cinched around their wispy waists. His boxier numbers at times recalled aviation uniforms, sans parachute. 

Despite the risks, Damir Doma successfully pulled off his gentle ode to spring.