AMBUSH is hosting a field day for Spring-Summer ’24, where the punkish aesthetic of the AMBUSH school uniform is newly infused with fresh, sporty details that shift its styling from demure to spirited. Presiding over the day’s festivities, designer Yoon Ahn brings vintage sportswear elements to the trio of utilitarian staples, uniforms, and surreal going-out garments that the brand has made its specialty. This season, the AMBUSH remix is particularly energetic, mixing all parts of the brand’s DNA, from bejeweled eveningwear to distressed hoodies, into an eclectic whole.

Spring-Summer ’24 takes inspiration from teenage field days, borrowing boxy, 1950s shapes mixed with workwear silhouettes and simple fabrics. Khaki Harrington jackets are worn with matching miniskirts or cargo trousers for women and oversized shorts and trousers for men. When layered with simple shirts and white socks, they call to mind a summer uniform, either for school or life, especially when worn with skorts. The collection takes an experimental turn after establishing this base layer of striped blue and white shirts and vests, thin white knits, and cropped polos in fabrics such as canvas, cotton, and wool. Football laces cinch a crop top and skirt, giving a perverse twist to sporty touches, while a football jersey channels the same design approach for menswear. Graphics reinterpret the collegiate sport identity, with AMBUSH appearing on college hoodies and basketball vests.

Vintage athletics are further explored through track sets in blue and maroon for all genders – tennis miniskirts paired with zip-up jackets or bras for women and shell jackets and knit polos for men. Moving on from the oversized silhouette AMBUSH has pursued in recent seasons, proportions have also shrunk, giving the models the look of ’70s track stars in short-shorts. Mini yellow running shorts with go-faster stripes, shorts with the pockets peeking out, and little vests further the impression of the school sports kit you’ve outgrown but can’t bear to be parted from. Denim takes its cue from workwear. Jeans feature large flapped pockets or are wide with a short apron at the front, while denim jackets are both in the boxy shape that the collection heroes and in a new waisted style.

Elegant details are interspersed with the sportswear as evening descends. Worn with heels, a transparent dress embroidered with crystals, or a faux fur shrug gives versatility to the collection, a reflection of the way designer Yoon herself and the AMBUSH client wear the pieces. Two classic AMBUSH motifs return – the bow and the buckle, which have been a recurring feature of recent collections. Ribbons are a staple of sports day honors, and here they erupt across all manner of garments in carnation pink. T-shirts and vest tops have an exuberance of bows falling from them, and drawing together the collection’s central themes, a tracksuit jacket has bows all down the sleeves, paired with a pink crystal-embellished skirt. For men, white bows are fastened to a shirt, while sleeves themselves function as a big ribbon when tied around the front of a look. Buckles, meanwhile, feature for men and women, giving a customized, punk edge to tailoring. AMBUSH introduces new plaids for men and women in gray and peach/blue colorways, which, when worn alongside shrunken cardigans and boxer shorts or navy and maroon cricket jumpers, gives the impression of clothing borrowed or thrifted from a stylish grandparent, another signature of the brand.

Shoes follow this thrifted ’70s vibe, with loafers and kitten heels adding a chic edge to the proceedings, alongside the now classic AMBUSH heart bag with a delicate lace patch, enhancing the customized feel. Jewelry gives off a precious allure through the use of rhinestones and is piled on to excess – multiple chains around the neck or sparkling rhinestone rings a small gesture of opulence among the discrete everyday colors and fabrics. Heirloom jewels worn with shrunken shorts, furry shrugs with sports kit and workwear with kitten heels – this season, everything’s in the mix at AMBUSH.

published by Nadia ten Hove