Alexander Wang is
a designer that I have never reviewed on this blog before. Personally, I have
felt in the past that his clothes have been more athletic and therefore, not
really my taste. Sure, he’s a noticeable designer who is now creative director
of the wonderful Balenciaga brand in Paris as well as his own in New York. He
also creates great clothes and accessories that are usually in grayscale for
both brands. He’s sort of known for that kind of thing. Oh, and let’s not
forget his recent collaboration with H&M that crashed their website and
completely sold out in a matter of days. However, why I am reviewing his latest
show for his own brand is another matter. Shown during New York Fashion Week,
this collection was mostly black, and very very goth. The models were
Frankenstein-esque with hunched shoulders, menacing faces, and stopping, thick
soles of very tall boots on a black catwalk. Nearly every piece in the
collection was black, except for a few exceptions of beautiful red plaid coats,
white studded cable knit sweaters, and light blue jeans tucked into cherry red
boots. A carved and shiny black leather jacket over zippered and chained pants
with a studded bag, for example, was one complete look that entrapped all the
motifs of the “darker side” aesthetic. Other wonderful looks like a knee length
dress with heavy vertical rows of chains created a strong yet feminine and
beautiful message. There were massive coats with broad lapels that draped and
framed magnificently over turtlenecks just oozing with hardware. Towards the
end of the collection, fabrics became sheerer, softening the image and
revealing skin. A few dresses in
particular held a futuristic print of lines strategically placed and corseted
at the waist. This was a strong and dark collection for Alexander Wang that
certainly grabbed my attention.
