Carol Christian Poell’s Spring/Summer 2002 collection, Traditional Escape, was presented in the designer’s own offices in Milan on June 27, 2001. Known for subverting conventional ideas of fashion, Poell set the stage with an unconventional location that reflected his ethos of rejecting mainstream runway theatrics. This choice, paired with a subtle yet haunting soundtrack—Marlène Dietrich’s "Moi, Je M'ennuie"—added an air of melancholy and introspection, turning the space into a contemplative exhibition of garments rather than a typical fashion spectacle.
Traditional Escape itself echoed Poell’s fascination with the body’s relationship to clothing. Poell’s garments were often treated, stretched, and dyed in ways that emphasized the materials' frailty and resilience, creating an aesthetic that appeared both worn and delicate, as though the pieces had lived several lives before reaching the wearer. The collection’s title hinted at themes of constraint and freedom, with silhouettes that seemed to challenge traditional tailoring by layering fabrics in unconventional ways, while the construction played with the balance between rigid, armor-like shapes and soft, disintegrating materials.
The atmosphere of the presentation, intimate and detached from the fashion world’s typical spotlight, allowed attendees to experience Poell’s vision up close, drawing attention to the intricate details that define his work. His choice of Dietrich’s song, with its repetitive refrain of boredom, further reinforced a mood of quiet defiance against the mundanity of fashion trends, suggesting that Poell’s escape was not only traditional but also deeply personal, a break from convention both in form and function.
