Alexander Wang Spring 2011

Loving Alexander Wang's Spring 2011 collection, well - some of it! Feminine, breezy, light and airy, and the color palette ... fresh and clean, just beautiful. The "construction" theme went a little overboard for my amateurish taste.  The rose gold metallic splashes here and there on some of the designs just didn't do it for me, and the color blotches gone haywire seemed a bit - overdone (can I say that?) ... but hey, I'm a minimalist purist with conservative style in its simplest form, so forgive me.

“I wanted to explore a purity and honesty,” said Wang, preshow. “As you can see, there’s not one hint of black.”

loooooving the shoes!

So far this NYFW we're seeing designers are returning to the feeling of light-ness, and what a welcome relief. Wang certainly appreciates this idea in his new collection, though it gets skewed with a few of the "color gone paint-ball" designs and sloppiness of some of the exaggerated pieces for the sake of his construction motif.

One nuance for Wang that can't be missed in this collection? Construction!

The collection includes overalls and wide-leg carpenter pants, denim jackets accented with copper paint. His flyaway silk trench had utilitarian crisscross straps at the back. The foil details throughout? Apparently a reference to duct tape (see image at top). His models came accessorized with swipes of white paint in their hair to add to the overall "under construction" vibe. 

In the continuation of last year's deconstruction theme, he showed layering and ultra-relaxed silhouettes. As reported by WWD, Wang also introduced his first-ever in-house prints — childlike scribbles and doodles done by his staff and interns on a 5-foot-by-5-foot sheet of paper in the studio and reproduced on fabrics in washed-out hues. “There are inside jokes [written] that even I don’t know,” he said.

source/images: WWD, Style.com

Alexander Wang Spring 2010 RTW

From the looks of it, lots of fashion and beauty lovers out here were expecting big things from golden child Alexander Wang this show. Has he delivered? Welllllll......

All I can say is this collection is definitely for the young at heart, and probably the young at age, chronologically. Loaded with bare mid-driffs, sandal toe knee-high socks and with a palette of mostly grays, blacks and whites with a few deep reds peppered in the middle, this spring 2010 collection has, yet again, left me uninspired. Sure, it's going to be a hit with the younger crowd, and I will say that his technique in these pieces is exquisite, especially in the leather detailing.

But is it me, guys and girls, or is this season's showing just not what it's been in the past? The excitement is still in the air, can see it on all the shows, video clippings and promotions, but the wears themselves are just ... huh ... nothing, no word comes to mind, just flat.

Having confessed that, I do need to point out that there are some redeemable pieces in Wang's collection. The animal print shoes at right are an example, the detailing on he tawny leather jacket at top is stunning, and some of the sweaters with their see-thru panels create a unique point of view for the season.



Backstage efforts through hair and makeup can be widely appreciated. Long, braided hair paid tribute to classic American style, while texture and asymmetrical fringe infused a bit of sexiness into the overall look. “I wanted the girls to look very American, slightly Brooke Shields from the Seventies but still a bit sporty and a bit rock ’n’ roll,” said hairstylist Guido Palau, who was working for Redken. For texture, Palau applied Redken’s Thickening Lotion to slightly damp hair. “Because the style is quite sweet, you want to muck it up a little bit and give it some sexiness and rawness,” he explained.

And speaking of Brooke Shields, as had been forecasted the brows were the facial focus and highlight. Brows were drawn in using a pencil with strokes that feathered up and out. “He (Wang) wanted the girls to look really strong and beautiful,” said makeup artist Diane Kendal working on behalf of MAC Cosmetics. “It was about achieving a look without using too much makeup. The eyebrow is a good way of doing that and still giving a boldness to the face.” The rest of the eye was left bare, except the tops, where a clear lip gloss was applied for shine. The look for skin was clean. MAC’s cream blush in Lilicent was applied to the apple of the cheeks for a peachy glow, and the brand’s Select Cover-Up Concealer was used only where needed.

images: NY Fashion, WWD