Vents and Venting: Alexander Wang Fall 2014

People got lost, town cars got stuck, New Jersey bridgegate jokes were made, someone showed up in a tiger costume, Anna Wintour got fidgety, and Brooklyn was blamed. Much has been made of Alexander Wang’s fall collection, held in the Navy Yards of DUMBO. That would be Brooklyn. In short, it did not go well.

However, it’s not Brooklyn’s fault. And, putting aside the mayhem, the urban-survival clothes on display were quite a feat to pull off. Models weaved between a jungle gym of air ducts (these became important later) decked out in a collection that drew from mountain climbing, camping, and other nature-based activities — a seamless blend of street and sport, high-performance and high-endurance. 

The first pieces to come out were essentially tunics with utility-like pockets of various sizes adorning the front, intended to stash things like iPads and lighters. Worn with galosh-like backless boots, these were followed by thick blazers and pea coats, also with the protruding pockets. A series of fantastic leather drawstring sweatpants paired with lambswool camisoles in sunset colors will be a big hit come fall, as will sweaters made out of bunched tech fabric or woven out of it, à la mesh.  For dramatic effect, the models had makeup-less faces and boy-cut hair, resembling Jude Law’s android character in AI. 

As the finale, a group of girls in seemingly black leather walked out and stood in front of vents in those air ducts. The stage began to rotate and as the models passed before the stationary vents, with hot air blowing out, the black leather turned vibrant shades of coral in paisley patterns. They were in fact wearing a thermo-reactive material. Ta-da! Cue everyone in the room thinking, collectively: “Great, but can it transport me back to Manhattan?”

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