Pajamas are not just meant for sleeping anymore.
From left to right: Adam Selman, Creatures of Comfort, Alexander Wang, Tome, and Proenza Schouler.
Photos from Vogue. Collage made by me.
An extended title: NYFW Through the Eyes of a College Student (Who Does Not Reside in NYC).
My new location of D.C. has made things tricky. A two hour plane ride to New York has transformed into a three hour train ride, so technically NYFW should now be a piece of cake. Skip classes, Natalie! Go live your dream!!! Unfortunately, my four and a half hour long photo class makes dreams die. Last NYFW, I spent the entire week researching shows and even being in the city to take street style photos. This year, my perspective went 360 and instead I spent ten minutes everyday attempting to take slight glimpses of the shows through Snapchat and Instagram which only resulted in my newfound contempt for Marc Jacobs. This failure then led me to frantically scrolling through Vogue and Man Repeller (she always reviews the best shows!!), desperately seeking for the best collections. This was a hard task. I'm not sure if it was my unfortunate situation of not being able to actually admire NYFW as a whole or if it was NYFW's fault -- am I the only one who thought it was underwhelming this season? Through my disappointment, I still found five shows that are worth [briefly] talking about.
Familiarity is key when time is limited, so I immediately went to Alexander Wang for comfort. It didn't match with the excellence that was SS16 and AW16, but the idea that pajamas are in (this idea will be a recurring one) spoke to me in a certain way that only college students can understand. Lace embellishments and button downs with pinstripe pajama shorts opened the collection that showed off Wang's true intentions in fashion: simplicity. But his implications are far more complex than the look of the show, drawing from his California roots and sex (as always) through the rash guards shown off in the middle of the show and the revealing of a lot of skin. It may have been an underwhelming collection due to the lack of a shock factor, but maybe uncomplicated is good -- no fuss fashion seems like the perfect way to stay in style when effort is hard to find.
Knowing how inspiring Adam Selman's collection was last season, my second step in researching shows was instantly typing his name into the search bar on Vogue. Immediate gratification was delivered. Selman followed a similar path as Wang and wanted to make pajamas cool again, but instead of creating a deconstructed look, Selman went a different route and had bold and even vulgar themes. He drew from pop culture and the past, as per usual, by connecting to disco and the '70s, but he did so with subtle undertones that don't take away from the simplicity of the collection. The progression from morning wear (literally) to evening created a collection that only whispers practicality, and anything that has a touch of that description seems so appealing at the moment. Where would fashion be without refreshing collections like this?
Comfort is key in the collection by Creatures of Comfort (how shocking!!). This is a brand I've been eyeing for the past few seasons but never got into until now, when pajamas (yep, once again) and waistless, draping shapes made an appearance. What makes the collection as a whole so captivating is not the clothes itself, but the meaning behind the clothes, which is all on inspirations from Frida Kahlo -- just look at the embroidery and ruffles! The combination of comforting colors and slides in different shapes and forms makes me want to do one of two things: either hop on a plane to Mexico or stay in my bed all day. Both sound equally appealing.
Here's another newcomer to my fashion repertoire! Similar to C of C, Proenza Schouler has been on my radar for a few seasons after Leandra Medine said it was one of her favorite brands a couple years back. After making a lot of bold decisions, they made the cut. I'm not sure if it's because it's so different than the above reviews (or really anything I've ever seen before), or if it's the geometric focus in both design and shape of the garments, but this collection spoke to me, loud and clear, with its daring patterns, unique silhouettes, and flatforms. This collection seems the most artistic out of all of NYFW's shows, and this could either be from the risks the designers took with color or the actual Greek art displayed on a few pieces. Where Adam Selman brought refreshment and Creatures of Comfort brought, well, comfort, Proenza Schouler brought awe, and maybe this is the one show that could wake us up from the first three. We can only stay in our PJs for so long.
And finally, we end with a younger brand that really knows how to experiment. Notice how I didn't end with Marchesa or Marc Jacobs or Rodarte, a.k.a. the ones every fashion blogger and her mother are obsessing over (don't get me wrong -- the collections of Marchesa and Rodarte were stunning). College has made me have a limited attention span and an inability to be captivated by even the most awe-striking clothes, so I had to search for something that turned my gaze the opposite direction. Tome played with fabrics and shapes and textures of all formats, creating a collection that's, in one word, different. This different isn't too much, however, because the experimentation blended together so perfectly to create a show of beauty. At the end of the day, this is why I love fashion. A brand that's just reaching the age of five can evoke emotion and wonder just as much as any big name brand. Also, the paint on the models' faces is so cool!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment