Every collection brings new ideas and challenges, but Fall 2016 is one of my favorites because we have introduced M2057's very first print, Lunar Plaid! Spring was all about circles, but designing with this bluesy plaid inspired me to turn to the square.

Squares are stable. They have right angles and represent order, mathematics, rationality, and formality. But they are also familiar and trusted shapes, suggesting honesty, peacefulness, solidity, and equality. Squares are seen as earthbound.

When I began working with our new plaid, I found that not just the print, but the solid squareitself could be manipulated to create sculptural, dramatic garments that have both fluidity and movement. Therefore you'll see square elements appear throughout the collection, but in surprising ways that balance structure and motion.

• The MILA Jacket: A classic nipped waist opens to a square peplum that arcs downward, creating expressive diagonal lines.

• The VELMA Dress: Square fabric tiles constructed on the bias tumble down from the shoulder through a fitted bodice, then release to flutter over the legs.

• The GLENDA Skirt: A single square piece of fabric with a single seam creates a modern bustle in back.

• The JANE Tunic: Minimalism expressed through a clean, boxy fit. (For those of you who love the Uma tunic, Jane will be your new wardrobe go-to!)

• The CONSTELLATION 51: A dramatic wrap made from 51 squares that float like a weightless web around the body.

These are just some of the pieces that play with a tension between the stable and the fluid, offering a vision of the square as a shifting shape that can expand beyond its boundaries.

And if you're not as mad for plaid as I am, don't worry—most of these styles come in solid colors, including a fabulous autumn green, "Comet."

Happy fall to all!
MARIA