Friday, September 17, 2010

At N. Hoolywood S/S 2011...

You practically skipped down to 303 Gallery to see what N. Hoolywood designer Daisuke Obana cooked up for his NYC Fashion Week debut. On entering the space, you were a bit surprised to find the dimly-lit art gallery looking like...well, an art gallery. The title of the collection is "Police Picture," and Katsuhide Morimoto's large-scale photographs in the style of early 20th century mug shots set the mood.
Photo: Helga Traxler.
There was a little surprise, however. The clothes were presented at the back of the gallery and viewed through an eye-level cutout running the length of an installed wall. Observers were to feel as though they were at a jail witnessing the mug shots of criminals. Here's the backstage view, the models' perspective:
Photo: Helga Traxler.
The crush of people made it a bit tough for you to see clearly; fortunately, the procession of 24 looks cycled through more than once. Each model, looking as though he had been dragged into the precinct in the immediate wake of his crime, first sat and then stood as he posed for his pictures. Each man had a police identification number affixed to his person or printed directly on his clothing.

Mr. Obana's fascination with vintage American menswear and workwear was immediately clear, as his chic criminals sported everything from closely cropped three-piece suits to faded dungarees. The collection at times flaunts a playful approach to proportion with slouchy overcoats and slim, bunchy trousers or rumpled chain gang frocks and high-waisted pants with exaggeratedly abbreviated hems. Splashes of color are limited; it's a sombre palette. The use of stripes and checks in black and white serve to enhance the jailbird image, especially when paired with small striped hats that ring true to the period. Mr. Obana's theatrical presentation concept, including all of the thoughtful details, is an effective compliment to his latest collection.

Photos: GQ.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hooray for Hoolywood!