THERE’S A CERTAIN KIND of woman for whom ultrafeminine dressing embodies strength and even rebellion. In decades past, professional women needing to be taken seriously had to dress the part. These days, you’re just as likely to find entrepreneurs, art professionals and even lawyers who eschew severe suits and dark color palettes in favor of florals, lace and pastels. Australian label Zimmermann is a brand created with these women in mind. “She is feminine, optimistic and likes to have fun with fashion,” co-founder Nicky Zimmermann, who works on the label with her sister Simone, says of her muses. “She enjoys traveling and experiencing the world and having a great time along the way.” Alexandra Fanning, a New York art publicist originally from Sydney, wore Zimmermann for her wedding a few years ago. “As soon as I slipped it on I felt so graceful and feminine; I felt powerful, poised and refined,” she recalls. Zimmermann launched in 1991 and has since been among a small group of labels, including Ellery and Dion Lee, to bring a distinctively Aussie aesthetic to the high fashion world. The brand operates an atelier in New York and shows at New York Fashion Week, but hasn’t lost the relaxed, bohemian, distinctively Sydney sensibility that somehow makes even their most feminine, frothy confections seem wearable. “The Zimmermann brand exudes elegance, confidence and playfulness, which I think reflects the Australian fashion scene—trendy and high-fashion, yet demure,” Fanning explains. The brand’s rise to fame happened over the course of many years, growing organically from a simple stand at a 94 BAL HARBOUR
“Just seeing a stylish woman on the street who might style something of ours in an unexpected way is amazing.” -Nicky Zimmermann
local market to the international It label it is today. And yet, Zimmermann says, “There’s never been any big plan, we’ve just taken things as they come.” On a roster of fashion influencers and Hollywood starlets, some of the brand’s most committed fans include Blake Lively, Kate Middleton, Laura Dern and model Jessica Hart, though Zimmermann says, “Just seeing a stylish woman on the street who might style something of ours in an unexpected way is amazing.” Elizabeth Kurpis, a fashion lawyer and New York party fixture, praises the brand for collections that are “boldly feminine, relaxed yet polished, have a hint of trend, but are far from being overdone. For me, this versatility manages to harness both the power and grace of being a woman, mother and young entrepreneur.” As for Zimmermann’s inspiration, she says she pulls it from everywhere, including the history books. The Fall 2019 collection, which is in stores now, was inspired by Nancy Wake, an Australian woman who became a spy during World War II. It balances the requisite airy dresses and flouncy ruffles by incorporating more structured pieces like trenches, trousers and wide leather belts cinched at the waist. It’s perfect for fall, bringing to mind Hitchcock heroines and safari adventurers. “Wake’s story really set off my imagination. She was a mysterious and brave woman, a chameleon who moved around in secrecy, strong and resilient, always so evasive so as never to be caught,” Zimmermann explains. “I loved the idea of such a feminine, skillful and selfless figure—a woman who helped people in the most difficult of circumstances.”
ALL IMAGES COURTESY ZIMMERMANN
Clockwise from left: The Espionage silk dress and oversized buckle belt; Espionage corded lace gown and metallic kitten heel boot; double-link metal chain bracelet.