After taking a hiatus much longer than originally expected I have returned with a, hopefully, more knowledgeable and mature voice. For the most part I've been busy with work and school, feeding my brain with books such as Alexander McQueen: The Life and Legacy and John Varvatos: Rock In Fashion during my time down. Lucky for me, after taking it easy during the Haute Couture and Menswear collections, I've returned just in time!
The fashion industry is constantly moving and looking for the next big thing. For its' second season in a row, website VFILES kicked off New York Fashion Week with a bang. Chosen by the online platform's team, three up-and-coming designers showcased their emerging talents at the bustling Eyebeam gallery.
First up was ASSK, a Paris-based Australian brand by designers Agatha Kowalewski and Sarah Schofield. The post-apocalyptic collection drew on urban knitwear and quilted jackets printed with real tree camouflage, SIM cards, garbage and pills. Appropriately, the models marched to "Survivor" by Destiny's Child.
Parsons' graduate Melitta Baumeister's monochrome and silicone-heavy collection was cool and calculated, featuring structured jackets and shirts, neoprene dresses and rubber banana embellishments. It was undeniably the most sculptural and minimal of the collections.
Inspired by eighties horror films, South Korean designer Hyein Seo showcased kitschy windbreakers, chokers and dresses with the word FEAR printed across them. Styled with ghoulish faux fur stoles, the imaginative collection reminded me a bit of Jeremy Scott and was my personal favorite of the three.
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| From L to R: ASSK, Melitta Baumeister, Hyein Seo |
On a wintry Saturday night, Alexander Wang dragged the fashion elite away from Manhattan to the Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn. Predictably, the show was predominantly urban influenced. Shift dresses were decorated with snap pockets efficiently cut to hold Moleskines, smartphones, lighters and lipstick. Thigh high riding boots were styled with down puffers and vibrant parkas. The viral moment? The high-tech finale. Lights when down and a dozen models strutted out, taking their place on a circular conveyor belt. Their heat-activated leather clothes changed colors- from black to blue, green to yellow- then slowly faded. Needless to say, it was worth the trip to BK.
In a world where subcultures and new trends are digitally available to the public instantaneously, Shayne Oliver has managed to create a brand for misfit downtown kids that manages remains enigmatic and foreign. Hip hop heavy hitters Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky have all embraced Hood By Air wholeheartedly and contributed to it's cult like following.
This season, Oliver elaborated his gender bending aesthetic with leather embossed pieces, magnified bruise football sweaters, grommeted jackets and pants. It all climaxed in a savage vogue off, not dissimilar to Rick Owen's epic team of stomp queens, featuring Oliver himself at the forefront. This kind of unfiltered energy reinforces my opinion on HBA: Shayne's is the rarest and most authentic of streetwear labels.
Jeremy Scott's shows are always campy, and this season's was no different. His main focus this time around was all things sporty. From the fuzzy football jersey maxi dresses and the leather basketball print bomber jackets, to the tube sock dresses and score board print pants, Scott's vision was clear. Innovative? Not exactly, but Scott brings a sense of light heartedness and fun to the sometimes overbearingly austere fashion industry.
Marc by Marc Jacobs or, as it will now be known, MBMJ changed drastically this season. Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier not only took over as designers, but brought an undeniably British twist to the otherwise New York-centric brand. Models unleashed their inner BMX queen in patched up boyfriend jeans, bandanas masking their mouths, shimmery dresses that read REVOLUTION and BUNNY HOP! What caught my eye the most, however, were the moon shoe inspired platform sneakers. Garnering approval from Marc Jacobs himself, Bartley and Hillier are on track to bring MBMJ back to it's roots.
New York Fashion Week was a whirlwind of amazing collections and I could not have written about all of them, so I had to narrow it down to my top 5 favorites. With much more to come, I look forward to analyzing more shows. Next up: London!
