Designer Feng Chen Wang was preoccupied by halves this season, specifically the idea of “the other half” that might complete a person—not necessarily romantically, she notes, as one could find solace in one’s career or other leisurely pursuits. It was more her desire to further “explore human connections and emotions,” which invoked several visual cues.
First, those halves: Wang hacked up several garments and spliced them back together. The most successful of these were the two fluttering white trenchcoats—each painted with a soft gradation of watercolor—and the white Converse Chucks with marbled baby blue or pink backs. There were also Frankenstein denim jackets and spare legs tacked onto jeans from her ongoing collaboration with Levi’s. Another half—the Feng Chen Wang woman (though the line is technically unisex) made her grand entrance in an iridescent anorak turned thigh-skimming dress.
Wang’s use of color was nice—a range of pinks and blues, drawn gently across the body to suggest the full spectrum of human emotion. Elsewhere, she used stuffed gloves on oversize bags and belts to refer once more to human connections. It drew to mind, however, Martin Margiela’s famous gloved tops and skirts; Margiela of the John Galliano persuasion appeared, as well, in some of the holographic rain gear. It was tough to shake a vague sense of déjà vu (a little Comme in the reconstructed coats, a touch of Rick Owens in the cut-outs and hefty backpacks).
There were no evident copies here, but Wang clearly responds to trends while sticking to certain conceptual design codes. It was a solid offering, but by ticking all those neat little boxes, things started to feel a little same-same. It would be nice to see Wang step out of her comfort zone and find a new way to explore these conceits.
