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PARIS, France — Patchy might be the best adjective to describe today's Rokh show, the label's second, in the sense that the collection was, aesthetically, a patchwork of different elements but also in the sense that this patchwork did not really hold together. It's a problem many designers working in controlled complication confront — and Rokh Hwang is certainly one of them. They tend to overdo their looks, when a good edit would better highlight the quality of their designs.
Hwang’s deconstructed trenches, buttoned-together outerwear and liquid or architectural dresses, for instance, are wonderfully clever feats of invention that do nor require unnecessary styling, but that's what we got unfortunately.
The show, entitled Field Trip, was inspired by the designer's memories of a three-month car journey from Austin to New York. Pairing images of working NYC women with camping gear, the story offered a captivating frame but couldn’t make up for the lack of clarity in the collection.