day 2 was quite a whirlwind, from my first mac and milk experience (not good) to my second one (much better) and everything in between.
i was supposed to see adam for my first show of the day. the milk experience seemed great in the beginning, complete with girls handing out wwd and the daily and fiji water while i was waiting in the standing room line. our security guy, joe, was equally nice, telling everyone that if they remained professional that he would do his best to make sure everyone got in to see the show. no such luck. as i was waiting, the music started playing and joe promptly told us there was no more room. at this point, it was already 2:30, and i needed to head back to the tents for my next show, academy of art. too bad…i heard (and read) that it was a gorgeous collection.
after going to the past few runway shows held in san francisco, i was very excited to see the collections of the recent aau grads. there were seven designers total, but three really stood out to me. richelle valenzuela was inspired by a gem-cutting diagram, and his pieces of pieced organza “petals” were elegant and beautiful. jie pan mixed materials like horsehair, linen, chiffon and organza into very architectural dresses with bold shoulders and draping details. finally sawanya jomthepmala found inspiration in origami, and her looks of folded jackets, skinny pants, and printed skirts reminded me of balenciaga’s s/s 2008 collection, but it was much more wearable.
i then trekked to the west side highway for alexander wang. inspired (possibly) by his recent collaboration with the gap, wang collection felt very all-american in a “hip” way. the looks included sweatshirts with corsets, boy “briefs” and one shoulder bra tops, sleeveless army dresses, rugby striped polos and cutout sweaters. don’t think wang abandoned his body-con looks altogether: the last section of the show featured some great dresses–with double necklines or built in waistbands or like the black one on frankie (above, right) with racing stripes. as with fall, wang gave us the shoes to covet now: a spotted haircalf bootie with or without the wedge and an old-time football boot, reinvented in leather and canvas with a stacked heel.
i finally ended the day back at milk for joseph altuzarra’s presentation. i was excited to see his work, as it was a cool mix of sensuality and realism. for spring, he strayed from the eighties and did more of a hipper 70s prairie look, with perforated slinky suede, thin henleys, ruched waist or fringed skirts, and swiss dot blouses. it wasn’t as groundbreaking as his previous collection, but it did represent a departure from what everyone else was doing, in a positive way.
academy of art and alex wang pics, coutorture; altuzarra pics, style.com
