My favourite young designer to emerge from American turf is without any shadow of a doubt, Alexander Wang. It doesn't hurt that his muse and confidante/partner in crime; Erin Wasson is in my top 3 style godesses (along with Alexa Chung and Chloe Sevigny). The pair look so achingly cool together and appear to be such genuine friends.
Aside from superficiality and aesthetics, Wang seriously delivers the goods where design is concerned. His takes on edgy rocker glam are consistently spot-on and perfectly representative of New York urban living. He seems to have an intuitive understanding of what sort of clothing makes the modern city gal feel sexy. As a graduate from the prestigious Parsons school of design, New York, as a city is clearly proud and protective of Wang as a product of their training and influence. It is clear however from his recent, heavily anticipated show at New York fashion week that the Big Apple's love for him is gratefully received and reciprocated. This can clearly be seen from his most recent Americana inspired collection.
Wang has been hailed as New York's latest wonderkid, and from what I've seen his show definitely lived up to the hype. While this season we are still embracing his penchant for all things black, body-con, leather and studded, he subverted people's expectations for SS10. The focus seemed to lie on comfort and athleticism, doing a contemporary take on the athleticism and androgyny of American sportswear. In line with the massive current trend for angular shoulders, Wang's sporty collection includes dresses with shoulder-pads inspired by American footballers! He updates the traditional trench and the classic breton top with a more wholesome American red and cream knitted version. The collection also includes sheer chiffon flowing from cropped sweaters influenced by the iconic 90s charcter; Cher from Clueless. In an interview with Dazed, Alexander Wang also drops "the bloggers" as a vice for keeping him in touch with the demand of his young audience...what's not to love!?
