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Alexander Wang celebrated ten years of his namesake line with last night's spring 2016 fashion show, a 42-look parade that whispered of the past while marching towards the future. Interestingly, a number of those looks were men's, the first time the designer has mixed his menswear into his womenswear show. What was presented was a step away from the moody, grunge-themed collection the designer showed for fall, and ever farther from the vibrant, sporty dresses he offered last spring. This felt less thematic than past seasons and more like the brewing of something new, if not yet fully formed.
We've become so used to seeing the 1990s and the 1970s recycled verbatim in fashion that it can be hard to look at something that doesn't feel entirely familiar. This collection was that: an elongated denim jacket with motorcycle-inspired panels over a sports bra and low-slung jersey midi-skirt; an ankle-length denim skirt with a croc-embossed belt, oversize fishnet shirt, and a colorblocked leather jacket. Throw in chain-embellished, Teva-esque sandals and caged mules and you have something interesting, thought-provoking, and new, but not necessarily beautiful.
Winks of Wang signatures were peppered throughout the collection, of which he told Vogue there was "no concept." There were boxing-style shorts (layered under tattered jean shorts), sportiness in bombers and hoodies, and the oversize fishnet he's been playing with in his own line as well as at Balenciaga. This will be his final season designing for the French house — keep your eyes peeled for that during Paris Fashion Week, which kicks off September 29th — and it will be exciting to see what he does for his own line when his mind isn't partly devoted to Balenciaga. In the meantime, have a look at the pajama tops, fringed leather moto pants, and wide stripes that walked the spring 2016 Alexander Wang runway in our gallery above.
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