Maximalist Minimalist

I still have so much to follow up with New York, namely the biggies – how do you begin to dissect and analyse though when all you keep thinking the first instance you see a Rodarte toile de jouy-type print draped dress, a Proenza Schouler neon shibori dress or a Marc Jacobs floopy hat is "Oh, I want that…" – there definitely needs to be more than just a "I want that!" or "I LOVE!" so I'll leave it to fester for a bit until Milan begins and I have my gap/break to do catch up.  London Fashion Week is getting underway as we speak but with so many things to catch up on, I thought I'd plough on here…

There's that 'm' word floating around reviews, write-ups and trend pieces (already?  It's only been ONE week…) again… everything is suddenly supposedly minimalist.  Perhaps I take that word to have some sinister meaning… minimalist = minimal effort – i.e. let's just drape some white silk and hope for the best.  Of course it doesn't actually mean that but in my head, I like to add maximalist to its opposing counterpart – an oxymoron that perhaps only makes sense to me because looking up close at the garments and the overall effect of these so-called reductive clothes, they do have a maximum impact.  What they lack in colour (in some cases, brights like turquoise blue and ox blood red manage to filter in anyway…) or overtly obviously embellishment or prints, they make up for with finer details and attention to texture, tailoring, drape and accessorising that in the end, it doesn't seem all that reduced to me…

Complex Geometries did their first presentation in New York and it was a "Be Silent, Be Still" type affair where the clothes needed slow or static energy in order to appreciate the details such as the shredding in the jersey/cotton and the textured knits.  When broken down into those twisted basics that the Complex peeps have come to be known for, they don't really need to display any particularly maximalist qualities other than being pieces that can be maximised with their multiple wearing-methods…

Phillip Lim took it up a notch with a HUUUUGE set at the Park Armoury this season and actually the amount of space suited the clothes which had a precision to it that has been filtering down of course from the past few seasons in general.  Still, the cuts of pieces where multiple panels of skirts would sit in one dress in block formations meant that they were still really impactful.  I know Sarah Mower has spoken of shows being Celinified (or Philo-ified) and initially, I had similar thoughts about Lim's collection but actually upon closer inspection, Lim injected a good amount of design details – in the fabric choices especially as well as little details such as leather shirt collars and embroidery to add some defining sparkle to some pieces – that in essence represent what the brand is all about; maximum design for a price bracket that isn't through the roof. 

Ok ok, there were shots of sheeny shiny red and ox blood red leather in Reed Krakoff's collection but Melanie Ward's styling and of course her minimalist background as most people know it through the Helmut Lang era really does figure in especially as the show was perhaps more raw than last season. 

Wondering if these plastic tubing belts will actually go into production or whether I need to nip down to B&Q and get some plastic tubing myself…

I also love the chunky chunky rope necklaces that formed the perfect counterpart to this precisely trimmed jacket…

Another form of a leather pelmet/mini-mini skirt that I've been seeing around other shows (where you can't actually sit down in it – it's wear over trousers or risk baring all…)

The shoes were also a highlight as they were a) nicely chunky and b) maximised with material consideration as seen in this monochrome python mule as well as the horsehair gradiated ankle cuff sandal…

Ah I had to stick this one here not just because Ralph Lauren's once-again Western-inspired collection ticked the box for neutrals but becauser…err…Ralph himself actually personified my maximalist/minimalist tract… the crisp white shirt paired with lace-up leather trews… and him looking ever so serene and not at all age-inappropriate….

As always, I had a good hard time looking at the textures and graphic lines that Jeremy Laing created for his new collection which he presented as a show for the first time.  The prints and colours had toned down to a palette of neutral but within a few shades of eggshell (putty?  linen?), Laing managed to cram in a number of fabrications that meant nothing ever seemed monochromatic, especially when you zoomed in on the draped dresses that worked in different kinds of mesh, knitwear and texturised leather.  The sole print still stood out though as a rose appeared on a grurple long dress (if seafoam green is storming in, I want to see the combination of grey and purple get a look in too…). 

Ok, I did end on a shot of bright bright red but this illustrates one of Laing's 'trapped' dresses where once again skirt/pelmet serves no purpose by itself but when paired with the flowing silk dress creates a shape and also a styling tip that me thinks will come in handy with skirts that have gotten a wee bit slutty over the years…

P.S. Videos of ALL the aforementioned shows up on their sites already…. a ramped up sense of urgency is making me all tetchy about sitting on posts like a lazy lemon….