Alexander Wang Fall 2014 show
Saturday
8:35 p.m.
“I don’t like being trapped in situations like this,” the driver mutters as we very slowly make our way through the Brooklyn Navy Yard to Alexander Wang’s show. It feels like foreshadowing. The runway venue is deep in the compound, and I can’t imagine how we’re going to get out once the show ends.
8:50 p.m.
Inside, Beyoncé’s ‘Partition’ is playing – owwwww. The show venue doesn’t look hugely different from the elaborate sets Alexander Wang staged at the various Piers in Manhattan where he’s shown before. People are carrying flasks emblazoned with the Alexander Wang logo, gifts being given out at the bar. I’m sure they’ll come in handy at his after-party later tonight, but so far I see nothing particularly earth shattering to warrant the far-out show location. The only thing ground-breaking about the night so far, is the fact that this is all happening in Brooklyn in the first place.
9:10 p.m.
Karlie Kloss, Joan Small, Jourdan Dunn and co. are rotating on a giant, moving disk in the middle of the runway, wearing bold paisley shearling jackets and Bermuda shorts in what appears to be a leather-like textile that changes colours as they move. In print that sounds gimmicky, but on the runway it looks technically impressive and cool. The entire collection, with all of its techy, inventive interpretations of work wear (a charcoal gray knee-length trouser suit with a neon green parka, a string of shearling jackets done in a waffle-like texture, a series of graphic dresses with giant woven zigzags most paired with knee-high mule boots), feels like a peek at the future of fashion. I see this and think of Christopher Kane’s squidgy gel embellished dresses from fall ’11 or, as a colleague points out, any number of Nicholas Ghesquiere’s Space Agey moments. And it feels like a transformative moment for Alexander; this isn’t a designer who people can just dismiss as the guy who does the model-off-duty jeans and tees. And the shoes — thigh-high rubber waders with white soles and mule boots that stretch up to the knees — are early contenders for next season’s street style trophy accessory.
9:51 p.m.
It turns out that driver’s comment was foreshadowing. We’re all trapped in traffic, desperately trying to leave the Navy Yard and live Tweeting our experiences. Steven Kolb sums it up best: “Last one to leave #Brooklyn please turn off the lights.”
The mood
3001: A Brooklyn Space Odyssey
The major trends
Plays on texture, bold colours, deconstructed work wear
The scene
Every major editor, stylist, blogger, insider-type as per usual.
The playlist
Bass-heavy instrumentals and a remix of ‘Get Like Me,’ by Nelly and Pharrell
What this will mean for your wardrobe
A new direction for work wear, which could look sportier and more urban.
