The buzzed about NYFW Show: Creatures of the Wind
“Hail Hyperborea” was the theme of the Creatures of the Wind show on Thursday, referring to a mythical land steeped in Greek Mythology and instantly setting us up for a festival of whimsy. Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters have been bringing us offbeat fabrications and bold hues since fall 2008; their position as outsiders from the epicentre of American fashion (they lived and worked out of Chicago, not New York) giving them a literal “out of the box” context for their collections. However, the brand has grown and a move to the big city meant a challenge for the designers this season, to maintain their separation from the crowd whilst being thoroughly immersed in it.
Thursday afternoon’s presentation displayed that the move has helped, not hindered, their sensibilities, fine-tuning their free-spirited creativity into an evolved, commercial collection. The retrospective vibe echoed fifties housewife silhouettes crossed with sporty boxy lines and space aged metallics thrown in the mix.
Stand-outs from the collection included a panelled double-breasted, sleeveless coat in soft pink, nude and white layered over a striped cherry-red sweater and a graphic checked t-shirt, paired with a red pencil skirt, both decorated with embroidered floral appliques. The appliqued details were sprinkled through the collection, adding fanciful touches to grown up tailoring and taking fall’s floral trend in a more dimensional direction. At the heart of the collection were beautifully structured jackets, shirts and dresses offset with slouchy lame trousers and skirts in colour blocked pastels, bright reds, silvers and golds. The clothes had just the right touch of quirk, without being so fanciful that they would be relegated solely to magazines pages; come fall we’re certain these pieces will find their way into our wardrobes.
