At first glance, a half-finished industrial space – all rough cement and exposed beams – on the corner of Broad & Wall streets seemed like a strange venue for Diesel’s Diesel Black Gold SS16 New York Fashion Week show. But as the first model came down the catwalk, it clicked into place.
A man’s striped poplin shirt was turned into a dress. Other looks quickly followed suit, all underscoring the theme: masculine-made-feminine. A man-sized hoody became an almost-dress, worn with the shortest of skirts. A waistcoat melded into a tailored halter-neck top, and left almost entirely backless, was paired with trousers. Even overalls, so unreservedly male, were cut from slick black leather and fitted to the body. Everything was anchored with no-nonsense biker boots.
“The starting point for the collection was the idea of a girl just grabbing her boyfriend’s shirt,” creative director Andreas Malbostad said backstage. “The rest of the collection just followed from there.”
The succession of choppy, hemmed, boxy looks felt fresh and youthful. Brimming with urban attitude, the sporty pieces had a strong industrial overlay. This came through in the clever combining of fabrics. Crisp cottons sat next to sheer mesh panels and Broderie anglaise was teamed with leather. Funnel-necked dresses, half hidden under extra-large, rolled-sleeve shirts, looked tough and uncompromising.
“Obviously Diesel is a denim brand,” said Malbostad. “But I wanted to deconstruct away from that. I wanted to abstract it all. I always try to maintain the spirit, the energy, the irreverence of Renzo [Russo, the founder of Diesel]. I love the idea of deconstructing a look until it becomes something else.” Being Diesel, the use of metal hardware was inevitable, yet it felt restrained and well considered. Eyelets became a grid pattern across a torso, while leather lacing snaked up a jacket arm as a finishing detail.
Even parachute straps were left simply trailing down the back of a sheer swing dress, almost as an aside. The skilful cutting meant dresses looked like they were held together with a single buckle.
The show notes spoke of a woman’s wardrobe where everything is “redone, reconstructed and re-proportioned”. By blending hard and soft, masculine and feminine, Malbostad achieved exactly that. Irreverent, indeed.
• New York Fashion Week ends today
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