Gorgeous pieces, but the collection missed the shock factor we have come to love.
Diotima Spring/Summer 2025 Ready-To-Wear blends urban needs with Caribbean fantasies. A collection throughlined by crochet leaf-shaped cutouts, earthy tones, and thoughtful bedazzling, it thinks of what a New York customer might crave to create a fun yet practical outfit. Thick fishnet textures call forth the sea: Jamaican Rachel Scott does not make the connection to the Caribbean too literal but rather reminds us that the devil is in the details.
Silver and gold sequins along the hem of a gray dress and around a generous side cutout appear like scales of magical fish, perhaps mermaid tails. And, in fact, the looks evoke a certain mythical quality of the mermaid. The collection seems to explore: what would a mermaid wear if she found herself strutting on the New York City streets?
With angular button-up vests broken up by crochet cutouts and reinterpretations of classic office wear, like a white collared shirt or a gray blazer, the collection seems to do the impossible — taking the boring out of corporate. A sober color palette keeps the focus on the golden beading detailing and the way the fabric drapes on the model’s body. The mermaid-esque effect is completed by a pirate blouse paired with a silver fishnet crochet skirt and a maxi dress that looks like the model has draped herself in an abandoned boat sail — yet magically looks fabulous and fitted, complete with lace detailing that looks like sea foam from crashing waves.
Diotima collections regularly tend toward the poetic, prioritizing the season’s chosen concepts and the art of fashion over whatever is trending on TikTok. This collection seems biased towards the wearable, which makes sense for a brand that has finally found its voice. The dark wide-legged jeans with crochet leafy cutouts down the sides are the kind of piece we can expect to see everywhere on a walk down Soho. But past collections have had more of a shock factor, which made this one come across as more quiet — and almost subdued. 🌀 7.0
Laura Rocha-Rueda is a Colombian fashion and fiction writer based in Brooklyn who holds a Creative Writing MFA from The New School. She is your local Swiftie and will gladly chat about anything glittery and soft, and about why dismissing pop culture as frivolous is misguided and sad.