The message from the first few looks out at David Koma seemed to be: Don't mess with me. The technical fabric looked bulletproof, and the sculpted greyhounds that formed the wedge heels of pointy shoes appeared ready to come to life and attack.
Koma had a handful of references: Louis Icart's Deco greyhound paintings, Boldini's paintings of Marchesa Casati, Thierry Poncelet's portraits of dogs in aristocratic attire, twenties-era menswear, and the minimal side of sixties fashion (a bit o' Courrèges, a touch of Rabanne). If that sounds like a lot, quite often it was. Alas, Koma's in growth mode—he debuted knits here with Hawick Cashmere—and bursting with ideas.
As the look evolved into something less ballistic, there came a flurry of body-contouring cutouts, peplums, specialized geometric jacquards, and rectangular silver buckles set into dresses and coats. You also saw the hardware on those high—almost canine and far from comfortable-looking—collars. Things lightened up slightly by the show's end, particularly with the appearance of a joyful candy-striped silk and a slightly mod pop bounce. You almost wished he would have developed those ideas into a full collection and perhaps achieved some of the sophisticated coherence he's shown before.
