It was barely 8:30 on a Thursday night and walking down Fourth Street was a downtown type in a fake fur jacket and mink skirt, her legs bare above her boots despite the brisk November wind. A thought: The weekend starts in the East Village. Another thought: Alexander Wang is onto something. Her new look book opens with a peplummed faux-fur coat and black patent coats, an engagement ring slipped on her pointed fingers, and not much else. Wang shot to fame in the late 2000s with the model-off-duty vibes of his collections, and here he was, recreating the mood of the moment. New-look style circle skirts that are trending for the resort? He would leave them to other designers.
“Date night is going to be our focus as a category, that’s a sweet spot for us,” Wang said as he walked through the collection in his showroom. Hence the slinky stretch jersey LBD, accented with some industrial zippers. But this is the first pre-season collection, which also had suits and athletics in the mix. Peplums tied them together. Even an oversized hoodie was made with a drawstring to create a cinched-waisted, flared look. Elsewhere he experimented with a gradient reflective tracksuit that would illuminate oncoming traffic or the dance floor. Boys’ puffer jackets were also added in the same look.
