Held in a studio high above Ninth Avenue, the Phi show was probably the most altitudinous of the week. In this aerie-like space, Andreas Melbostad presented a collection that showcased his eagle-eye precision tailoring and his strong, silhouette-driven vision for fall.
The first look, a double-breasted jacket with striped shirt and boy pants, was borderline preppy, but by look 14 the jacket was cropped, the shoulders broadened, and the pants pleated. "We reapproached the classics, recutting and reproportioning them," Melbostad said backstage. Rendered entirely in black and white, the shapes and balances of the clothes—not to mention the tough, wedged, winkle pickery boots—referenced not only menswear but 1983, the year the Japanese took Paris, shrouding it in black and challenging its classic lines.
Mixed among the wool felts and camel hairs, napa leathers and flannels, which were cut into coats and jackets, were substantial cashmere sweaters and a number of silk pieces. The most successful of these were some black-and-white printed looks, like an easy shirt and draped skirt on Carmen Kass. The dresses, some studded, looked lost among the rest of the collection, which was, as the DJ described the soundtrack, "industrial, rigid, and military." If Melbostad continues on this path, he'll have no trouble finding conscripts.
