Ulla Johnson is the first designer to have secured the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a show. It’s an idyllic spot no matter the conditions, but the weather gods were more agreeable than usual this morning. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature was mild. Below the Attacca Quartet, cicadas were making music of their own. The day’s packed schedule would require two more commutes back and forth to Brooklyn, but this was a moment of calm. “The garden was a bit of an oasis for me during this last chapter,” said Johnson, who lives nearby. “We’ve all been doing a lot of reflection, and in those moments I decided I wanted to tell a story about pauses.”

She conveyed that by expanding her usual repertoire to include a ribbed-knit set in a heathery oatmeal color, pajama-like cotton shirts and pants elevated with the addition of a quilted satin vest, and a button-front tank dress worn over matching bottoms in a soothing shade of green crepe de chine. The UJ team did research on Victorian underpinnings, and there were sweet dresses in organza with the simplicity and lightness of slips.