Damir Doma Plays By The Books

Damir Doma’s capelike jackets and voluminous pants have attracted a zealous following of free-spirited men who refuse to be poured into skinny jeans. So when the Croatia-born, Germany-raised menswear designer announced he was launching a women’s collection for Fall, curiosity reached a fever pitch. Who is the Doma woman and will she, too, reject the lean and narrow? On the whole, she did. “I’m a special case,” explained the soft-spoken designer. “I like sensitive men, but I always think of women as strong, proud, and structured.” (It could be because Doma’s mother is herself a designer with her own factory, where his collection is produced.) His debut women’s show last night brought the fashion crowd all the way over to a high school library in Paris’ academic Left Bank. The setting fit the look: black platform sandals worn with ankle socks, wire-rim spectacles, supersized sarouel pants, and cocoon coats. They were cut to flatter—if not always in the most expected ways. “I love beautiful arms and shoulders,” Doma said, “but after the casting for this show, I found that a good knee is the hardest thing to find.”