Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
NEW YORK, United States — Philipp Plein's Milan shows have become legendary for all the wrong reasons: they are aggressive, loud, and unforgivingly late. Moving the spectacle to NYC changed none of that, yet redirected his shallow inspiration pool towards Lady Liberty and the city that so lovingly accommodated his latest extravaganza in the hallowed halls of its Public Library.
Whilst the appearance of heavy-hitting locals like Madonna and Kylie Jenner on the front row sent jolts of excitement through the throngs of the less initiated local guests, those who’ve experienced planet Plein before were not as impressed, and the collection itself did little to quell the universal dismay of editors coming to terms with the uncanny merging of glossy, re-packaged rap culture and high fashion.
As for the clothes, one could suggest business as usual, however it seemed that the stakes were raised for Plein's first stateside affair — he heaped on the exotic skins, crystal embroideries, and vapid pageantry more than ever, in an ode to New York far removed from that orchestrated by Raf Simons at Calvin Klein earlier this week (despite the puffer jackets snatched from Raf's own line, that is). What his keen audience showed, however, is that a city like New York has room for both.
