Imagine Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory crossed with CBGB and you’ll have a good picture of tonight’s Just Cavalli set. Peter Dundas conjured the good old bad days of New York for his first show as artistic director of Roberto Cavalli’s little sister label. He tended bar, the British band Black Honey played a 40-minute set (as the notes said, its lead singer, Izzy Baxter, is a Debbie Harry for 2016), and models circulated in late ’70s/early ’80s punk-meets–new wave clothes. There were printed one-shoulder party dresses, rhinestone-spangled jackets, and leopard-spot coats for the ladies, and shrunken Perfectos, printed shirts, and super-skinny jeans for the dudes.
It’s well-trod territory, to be sure. Fashion has been co-opting and commodifying the look of underground music scenes since at least Vivienne Westwood’s early days, and clubwear has become a particularly popular refrain since Hedi Slimane conquered Saint Laurent. There were no surprises here. Still, the look seems right for Just Cavalli, the lower-priced offspring of Cavalli’s rocker-chic signature label.
Over the years at Emilio Pucci, Dundas proved himself adept at channeling glamour. Just Cavalli’s brand of glamour is simply more laid-back and grittier. Turning around a company as big as Cavalli’s will be no easy task for Dundas, but aesthetically speaking, he can let his hair down here. That’s gotta feel good. “It’s about getting it back to the kids it was intended for,” Dundas said, pointing out that Baxter and co. were disappointed to change out of their JC duds for their street clothes after sound check. Then he went back to his bartending duties.
