September 14, 2010

ALEXANDER WANG: ON POINT OR POINTLESS?



NY TIMES FASHION CRITIC CATHY HORYN TALKS SERIOUS SMACK

If you read our blog, you know that sister is seriously loca about her beloved Alexander Wang. He's become her go-to man for any night in need of an edgy, daring, cool and yet wearable look. I must say, while I'm not as into the black on black dark and daring designs of some younger designers, I too have been interested in his stuff. It's easy to be edgy, but to make the stuff viably wearable for the average woman is a feit worth applauding. Well, the well known, much respected and often sharp tongued fashion critic for the Ny Times Cathy Horyn doesn't think quite as highly of Wang. In her words:



Mr. Wang is not a great designer, though he probably would be happy to accept any laurels that people want to toss him, but he is clearly a shrewd guy. Unlike some of his dreamy peers, he decided at the outset to make affordable clothes. That’s the traditional, pre-Internet way to reach a lot of people. He also must have sensed that fashion’s memory hole was widening in direct proportion to the numbers of young people Googling his name. The designs were cool, but they didn’t have to stand up to much scrutiny — hey, didn’t Marni do those pants last season? — so long as the stuff was widely and easily available. Mr. Wang doesn’t really have courage in the traditional sense of trying something new and difficult, but he does have China. Nearly all of his clothing is now produced there.
... The collection downloaded the ideas of designers like Ann Demeulemeester and Issey Miyake — naturally, without their sense of energy and intuition — and for that reason, despite some cute looks, the show was a little boring.
But don’t fret for the 26-year-old Mr. Wang: the combined whiplash of globalization and the Internet all but guarantees that these clothes will look new to someone.

I for one think Horyn is being a bit of a sour puss. I mean, let's be real. Who in fashion doesn't borrow ideas and trends from past designers and shows? Fashion is an evolution of looks - it's how you put these looks together, and the small innovations a designer makes that creates a newsworthy show. Has Alexander Wang reached the creative peak that many hope he'll find? Probably not. But, let's not forget that everyone from Mark to that other Alexander (McQueen) didn't exactly start out living completely up to the hype. 

Check out Wang's Spring/Summer 2011 show from NYFW a couple days ago below. What do you think? Is Horyn barking up the "wang" tree? Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  

- brother






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