While Alexander Wang may have said he had a feeling for “extreme opulence,” for his fall collection, the garments themselves told something of a different story. Rendered in shades of slate gray and black, they presented a more streamlined, restrained air to them. Take those sleek blazers or beefy padded coats that came in imposing black, tough-girl leather, then given a cheeky wink when cinched with fur belts made from wire and frozen in undulating waves.
Opulence could, perhaps, refer to the faux fur and rhinestones that served as the two major motifs running through the collection. The former showed up as the lining of a jean jacket, the fat lapels of a techy khaki nylon trench, and trimmings on denim miniskirts. More playfully, the fuzzy fabric also appeared as a Meret Oppenheim-esque tank top, and a fluffy bra sitting atop a leather dress (a personal favorite of the designer). Those squiggly faux fur belts, then, were also reimagined as the hem of a cropped high-neck sweater or logo t-shirt. “It’s gestural,” Wang said. “Like the attitude of tying your shirt at your waist.”
Rhinestones were splashed across sexy body-skimming dresses in both mini and maxi cuts, many carrying over a yanked-and-tied-at-the-hip detail, giving a draped appearance which was inspired in part by an image of Kate Moss leaving a party with her gown hem lifted and tied after she ripped it. The same fur and crystal details were found across Wang’s shoes and bags while the heels remained high, evening purses dainty and rectangular. Other highlights included a series of dead-simple and breezy garments with a geometrical bent: a long cylindrical knit maxi dress, just a tube with armholes and a floppy cowl neck; a slinky cape made from one large fabric half-circle, and a frisky little dress with a draped and folded hemline due to its continuous, donut pattern. “It’s just easy,” the designer said. “To feel minimal and not so worked. And then we add the crystal embellishment.”
Taken as a whole, there was a sort of carefree attitude to the collection, and a touch of that Wang irreverent gaudiness. If it harkened back to his 2010s heyday, perhaps it was apt timing, as the culture seems primed for a nostalgic trip to the era. The designer mentioned seeing Charli XCX at Outside Lands and an eerie feeling of déjà vu. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, this feels so familiar,’” he said. That familiar feeling is likely why the brand is also bringing back its beloved grommeted-bottom Rocco bag in three sizes this season (and lighter to boot).
