Monday, February 14, 2011

Best of New York Fashion Week

Alexander Wang FW11

by Grace Gordon

Alexander Wang is at the top of his game, and he hit the ground running this season with a darkly chic and subversive show. This was a collection of hybrids, of forced highs and lows, of yin and yang.

The clothing in the show made use of exaggerated silhouettes to explore feminine-meets-masculine aesthetics. Oversized fur collars added volume to coats in silver and black. Pockets were gigantic, and everything seemed a size or two bigger than necessary. Swathed in a cocoon of outerwear ranging from towering black sweater capes to leather ponchos, the models marched down the runway in protective layers as if faced with subzero temperatures.

This season, Wang reinvented tux luxe, creating sheer tuxedo front blouses that were as long as dresses. He made great use of negative space by layering these tops (some monochrome and some with sheer panel stripes) with solid colored crop tops underneath.

One of the best looks was a fuzzy angora poncho that blended into a handkerchief-cut hem in rosy bronze satin. The other was a coat that looked like it could fit a sumo wrestler - with giant sleeves that billowed out at the wrist, but still managed to keep their wide shape. All of these unusual silhouettes really worked despite their oddness. Wang has got a razor-sharp sense of proportions, and it is never more evident than in this collection.