The menswear trend has been the dominating influencer thus far as the Fall 2010 New York collections get underway, and Alexander Wang–always a barometer for what’s cool and, more importantly, what’s upcoming, took the motif of masculinity to the apex. In a dramatic about turn from spring’s athletic-inspired, sweatshirt-and-leather peppered football motif, one almost expected Michael Douglas and Martin Scorsese to be front row Saturday night, in an apparent homage to the Gordon Gekko in the upcoming Wall Street 2. Not to be misconstrued, there was plenty of leather alright, perhaps most beautifully showcased in a black zip-away trench with mink back, but more on that later.
The first look–modeled by Natalia Vodianova, who opened and closed the show–set the theme for the rest of the 41-look stunner: a wool pinstripe Inverness blazer paired with a matching cropped vest and mini skirt with blazer detail cast in a black and merlot (not burgundy, mind you) color combination and paired with a matching pinstripe backpack. Sorry Dolly, but these girls aren’t working 9-to-5 boardroom jobs, mind you. That notion was dispelled as Wang continued to prove his creativity with this collection–beautifully evident by a charcoal wool pinstripe minidress trimmed ever-so-delicately with lace detail (this time think less Michael Douglas and more Demi Moore in “Disclosure”). Back-to-back camel outerwear looks, meanwhile, both of which–one a clergy cloak with cut-out sleeves and, the other, a structured and boxy coat–were right on point and utterly gorgeous.
Accessories came in the form of chunky loafer boots, frame clutches, bondage-esque backpacks, velvet-trimmed sunglasses and charcoaled 18-Karat gold rings while peppered throughout were tailcoats, cropped blazers (some featuring a beautiful Swarovski pearl pinstripe), tiger face macramé tops (an ode to the Chinese Lunar calendar, perhaps?) and mohair shrugs–all the essentials for a Master of the Universe in the making, natch–that truly pushed the traditional banker’s suit to the edge. Yes, there was plenty of skin exposed, juxtaposed with thigh-high legwarmers that left some things to the imagination. In contrast to the traditional menswear fabrics, leather notwithstanding, Wang also lobbied hard for velvet. That translated into a series of ruched LBDs perfect for masterminding the most stylish hostile takeovers. Ever.
