Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, September 18, 2015 — 7A
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK SPRING 2016 ROUNDUP
Diane Von Furstenberg’s
NYFW show comes off the heels
of the 40th anniversary of the
brand’s signature wrap dress
and designers of the Spring 2016
Ready To Wear collection pay
homage to the timeless garment:
v-shaped necklines and cinched
waists were abound on Sunday’s
DVF runway.
The collection works to
display its strengths through
diverse pops of ’80s-esque col-
ors, neutral shades of beige and
ultimately a slew of sleek black
and white dresses. Each aspect
of DVF’s show displays the range
of her talent and brand. The
bolder pieces, featuring various
floral prints, are extreme, yet
accessible. The solids each have
their own flare — a silver chee-
tah print around the waist, or
colorful flare covering pockets —
creating cohesiveness across the
diverse collection.
Butterflies make an appear-
ance a few too many times. First,
they’re embroidered in gold on
the collections white dresses
and then again on black dresses
(the second time around is decid-
edly better). Nonetheless, the
experimentation with butterflies
does well on the show’s finale
garment. Gigi Hadid’s black,
floor-length gown with a plung-
ing neckline featured only two
visible gold butterflies — just the
right amount.
Between her killer line-up
of models (Kendall Jenner and
Karlie Kloss preceded Hadid),
expansive collection and the
design house’s new E! television
series, it would appear that DVF
is looking to expand its clientele
into the younger generation. This
collection has a range that will
surely net a few on-lookers.
Florals for spring may not be
groundbreaking, but under the
prowess of Von Furstenberg,
they sure are stunning.
-CHRISTIAN KENNEDY
DVF
DVF
GIVENCHY
JEREMY SCOTT
Riccardo Tisci dissects what it
means to be a woman in today’s
world with his latest Spring 2016
collection for Givenchy and, well,
it’s complicated.
Each piece — in white, black,
gold or silver — seems simple at
first glance. However just like
every modern day woman, the
designs are complex and intri-
cate.
Beginning with the more soft,
and some would say traditional,
side of things, we saw a lot of
silks embroidered with lace com-
ing down the runway. Camisoles
in neutral tones and slip dresses
paired with sleek black pants for
work — it embraced the elegance
of traditional women’s fashion
and coupled it with the edginess
of the working woman.
The soft tones and fabrics seen
at the start of the collection soon
began to evolve; paired with
structured and hard-looking
lace-up military-esque heels,
showcasing Tisci’s societal tran-
sition. To be a woman today also
brings with it ideas of strength
and power. Women are soft and
strong, domineering and exqui-
site. Models strutted down in
tuxedo jackets, pinstriped suits
equipped with flared pants (yes,
pinstripes are back), portraying
the ultimate badass woman, a
force to be reckoned with both at
home and in the world.
On the one hand, we have
been brought up to associate
women with classic femininity,
oftentimes being contrasted to
the likes of ethereal goddesses
and otherworldly phenomenon.
Tisci’s couture collection was
featured intermittently through-
out the show and provided a
contrast between dark and light.
With some pieces emanating
golden tones, a crowd favor-
ite being a structured white
jacket covered with metallic gold
embellishments, equipped with
a (badass) matching headpiece.
Then darker looks featuring
black ruffles, feathers, net and
mesh, oftentimes all at once, still
managed to work in nicely with
the rest of the collection.
-MARIAM SHEIKH
Jeremy Scott gets it. Jeremy
Scott gets us. Jeremy Scott got
it right.
Scott doesn’t strike me as a
wise old man, but more of the
fashion world’s witty uncle
who inadvertently delivers cold
truths in a sardonic manner. And
that’s just what he did with his
Spring 2016 collection.
Was he sourcing inspiration
from the remarkable, other-
worldly production quality of his
K-pop coterie? Likely. Did he just
release Miley’s upcoming ward-
robe? Probably. Was this the
result of an acid trip gone right?
Signs point to yes.
Fashion’s virtuous oddball
presented his newest line on
Monday, one that rendered our
pop-culture poisoned minds
onto the bodies of models —
hello, Hadid sisters — topped off
with boisterous bouffants. In a
mixed bag of crop tops, A-line
silhouettes, a crop of menswear
looks (will 2016 be the year of the
speedo and loafers combo?), leo-
tards and even a metallic cone-
bra, Scott’s line is marked by his
signature, absurdist indicators
of effective artistry — he mocks
us as he mocks himself, and it’s
completely fascinating.
Punctuated by punchy hues
of orange and cobalt, along with
funky patchwork and scribbles
(please pause to admire that
pleather-accented, scribbled
trench), the collection is car-
toonish and animated with an
overarching ‘60s sci-fi flair. It’s
costume-y, yet utterly wearable.
Effective fashion, how-
ever outlandish it appears to the
naked eye, performs a cultural
critique, and Scott’s is obvious.
It’s no novel idea to hear that
our lives are saturated in screen
time, rampant materialism and
overexposure, but to see our
societal flaws in such a meta-
presentation, outsourced from a
visionary guilty of these weak-
nesses himself, makes for a liv-
ing, sartorial think piece worthy
of a ponder.
-CAROLINE FILIPS
VICTORIA BECKHAM
From the first appearance
of Gingham, it was clear that
this collection was going to
be different for Victoria Beck-
ham. For spring/summer, VB
landed far outside her comfort
zone, somewhere in the land of
urban surf prints and crinkled
duchesse satin. Midi swing
dresses, printed separates and
flats were constant throughout
the show to showcase VB’s
attempt at a fun and carefree
collection. A standout look fea-
tured a white above-the-ankle
swing dress with primary red
and blue details and chunky
white flats.
The collection played with
primary colors as overlays
to all-white ensembles or as
color-blocked separates. These
looks beautifully emulate the
fun and carefree spirit VB was
hoping to achieve with this col-
lection. Then came the urban
surf prints and multi-print
looks. When used sparingly, the
prints looked fantastic, rocking
the LA-London duality that is
ALEXANDER WANG
Alexander Wang’s 10th anni-
versary collection debuted at
NYFW and came equipped with
lavish performers and an impres-
sive front row audience. The
atmosphere of the show was con-
trasted with what some would
call the old school collection.
Wang held true to his down-
town girl aesthetic featuring
staple pieces such as a shrunken
bomber and biker-esque leather
jackets. Stripes appear to be
the hottest thing to (attempt) to
make a comeback this Fashion
Week, and this collection was no
exception. Showcasing combina-
tions of various patterns, mate-
rials, styles and colors, Wang
perfected casual looks by giving
them his signature grungy edge.
And no urban look of 2015 can
be complete without the intro-
duction of rugged mesh tops,
because, let’s remember, it’s still
considered a shirt even if the
material doesn’t actually cover
everything underneath.
What struck me most about
this particular collection was
how androgynous many of the
looks were. In a society where
gender lines are becoming
blurred, it was as if most of the
pieces could work for men or
women. Hooded jackets hid
models’ hair, coupled with their
minimal makeup and the clothes’
baggy appearance in general was
very gender neutral.
Wang’s anniversary collection
managed to stay true to his origi-
nal roots, displaying simplistic
and urban pieces, while still
giving the star-studded crowd
something to talk about — other
than the stripes of course.
-MARIAM SHEIKH
VICTORIA BECKHAM
RALPH LAUREN
Honestly, God bless Ralph
Lauren. After a week of over-
whelming colors, prints and
shapes, one can always count
on Ralph to supply a beautiful
collection of elegance and clas-
sic silhouettes. That is not to say
these looks are boring, overdone
or stuck in the past. Rather,
Ralph delivered 50 looks for the
modern woman. No one does
red, white and blue like this man.
No one.
The collection was bursting
with classic summer whites
and covered all the essentials —
simple cocktail dresses, killer
wedges, navy blazers and endless
takes on the white pant. Lauren
effortlessly blends caramel leath-
er and navy blue sweaters, which
included six of the sickest leather
jackets you’ve ever seen. Among
the sea of perfect stripes, cash-
mere sweaters and red trench
coats, the designer surprised
with three looks of eye-popping
print. The star of the show was
the floor-length chiffon gown
featuring this multi-colored
geometric print. The collection
was beautifully designed and
constructed, the norm for Ralph
Lauren. It makes for the per-
fect spring/summer wardrobe,
whether by the lake in Northern
Michigan or the mediterranean
along the Côte d’Azur.
-MARA MacLEAN
OSCAR DE LA RENTA
Though the beloved, quippy
Erika Bearman (@OscarPR-
girl) is soon to switch over to
motherhood and the consulting
side of the fashion house, she
continued to release collection
teasers by Fabien Constant on
her Instagram, showcasing
“The Story of a Dress” — which
is essentially the tale of ODLR,
a label that prides itself on a
quasi-couture mastery of out-
fitting women. Unsurprisingly,
the brilliant cinematography
didn’t disappoint, and once
again, the house of Oscar de
la Renta created fashion of
fantasy.
Peter Copping’s sophomore
collection — the senior install-
ment of his work if you include
the sublime resort and bridal
shows under his creative direc-
tion — for the house of Oscar de
la Renta proves he’s mastered
the reins of the label, yet con-
tinues to seamlessly imbue a
personal panache that we’re
still trying to grasp. He’s some-
how struck a balance between
the label’s rich design tradition
and the constant desire for
modernity in the ever-evolving
fashion world.
Whatever that je ne sais
quoi is, it’s working — with
his Spring 2016 line, Copping
delivers the late de la Renta’s
refined romance and ampli-
fied femininity with a thematic
twist. The collection radiates a
rich Hispanic flair with recur-
ring motifs of carnations and
crimson, continuous ruching
and requisite espadrilles; and
of course, no ODLR would be
complete without eveningwear
that leaves you breathless (I
will take personal offense if the
stunning lilac ball gown isn’t
worn during awards season).
The sartorial sphere will for-
ever miss the beloved taste-
maker they found in Oscar de
la Renta, and though the void is
irreplaceable, Copping contin-
ues to eschew any doubts of his
succession.
-CAROLINE FILIPS
OSCAR DE LA RENTA
YEEZY SEASON TWO
At some point in time a lucky
few received camouflage shirts
in the mail — this fall’s invite to
Kanye West’s second collabora-
tion with Adidas. As of yesterday
afternoon, Yeezy Season 2 has
commenced.
Season 2’s NYFW debut stays
consistent with the rigidity of
the line’s debut this past Febru-
ary, but takes it one step further.
Instead of models lined up in
rows and moving forward to
unveil a new set of garments, a
drill sergeant calls out groups of
models and gives them the order
to walk. With each new group,
on-lookers notice a slight change
in the color of the clothing,
which also corresponds with the
complexion of the models. As
the show goes on, both models
and clothing move from light
shades of beige to black.
The collection itself stays true
to Kanye’s aptitude toward the
simple. Throughout the show a
pattern is nowhere to be seen:
only solids, tears and the texture
of knit. The collection consists
of pieces across the spectrum:
tights, excessively baggy hood-
ies, knit leggings and high heels
are just a glimpse into the offer-
ings of Season 2. Diversity aside,
the beauty of West’s new line
isn’t displayed on the monochro-
matic models (while they all
do look stunning). The beauty
lies within the possibilities —
the possibilities of mixing and
matching across the tones of the
collection, or the possibilities of
simply incorporating key pieces
into a wardrobe.
Ultimately, as with Season
One, the most stunning pieces
of the show are the shoes and
the music. The Adidas Yeezy
Boosts, the Yeezy Duck boot
and its high-heeled counter-
part are the crème de la crème,
furthering Kanye’s already
strong standing reputation
as a shoe designer. West also
opted to use the show to pre-
miere a new track from his
forthcoming album, Swish,
titled “Fade” featuring Post
Malone and Ty Dolla $ign.
Who knows if Yeezus 2020
will be a reality, but one thing
is for certain: Kanye West and
his commitment to creation
and artistry won’t be going
anywhere anytime soon.
-CAROLINE FILIPS
KANYE WEST
GIVENCHY
synonymous with the Beckham
fam. For some of the looks,
though, the emphasis on prints
took away from the overall
craftsmanship of the striking
culottes and jackets. Kudos to
VB for trying and succeeding in
taking a large step toward the
carefree and fun.
Aside from the typical buzz
about Brooklyn and David sit-
ting front row, the Victoria
Beckham show created a sig-
nificant discussion in the fash-
ion world. British news struck
out against Beckham for her
skinny and miserable looking
models. The show has ignited a
discussion about models’ looks,
but also about British news’
obsession with Victoria’s body
image. This has been an on-
going problem for her since her
Spice Girls days. Some argue
that her models look no differ-
ent than those of other design-
ers, while others state this is
the trademark VB.
-MARA MacLEAN
FILM. TV. MUSIC.
COMMUNITY CULTURE.
STYLE. NO FILTER.
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ARTS.
WE KNOW HOW TO PARTY.
COME WRITE FOR US.
WE HAVE A KEURIG MACHINE.
(BRING K-CUPS).