HELMUT Lang once said, “I don’t think that I’m the one that invented glamour at all.” He was right. In fact, Lang always wanted to break away from opulent extravagance in fashion. Creating clothes for those more interested in dressing down than dressing up, Lang was the first to make parka-jackets, baggy jeans and sneakers high fashion. Needless to say one of the most influential fashion figures of the 90s’, Lang returns to the catwalks of NYFW after a year and a half break to debut his fall 2019 collection.
Under two new creative directors Mark Thomas and Thomas Cawson, the Lang collection hones back to its heyday in the ’90s, with a mis-match of refined tailoring, straight-cut jeans, and, of course, bondage-inspired work-wear. Complete with subtle hints of mesh and leather, the collection, much like his most iconic collections, rides the fine line between professional and kink. Who knew full leather looks could be appropriate in the work place? Here, we see the everlasting influence Lang has on contemporary style, with his emphasis on street-style leaving a lasting imprint on todays designers.
Blending together denim and satin, trench coats with jeans, the collection focuses in on combining the best of work-wear with casual-wear. Interested in exploring the transformative element of fashion, the collection plays with ideas of the conventional and the ordinary, working to undercut our expectations for a categorised style or trend. One way the collection does this is through the vividly coloured red and pink work-wear, bringing a boldness which is unfamiliar and unorthodox for the workplace.
Despite its eccentric and nonconformist design, most of the collection is very wearable, a hallmark of Langian fashion. Incredibly varied in style, each look stands out as singular, especially in terms of colour palette, spanning from mostly blacks, to reds and pinks, and ending the collection with a cascade of white and satin. Encompassing the diverse possibility of Lang’s design, the collection continues his legacy and mastery of craftsmanship.
by Emma Hart