City Slicker
Alexander Wang embraces urban chic for F/W 2019 with a modern interpretation of New York style throughout the decades
For Alexander Wang, this season is all about contrasts: male versus female, uptown versus downtown, smart versus sporty. The brand is celebrating American pop culture throughout the decades with a collection of stylish juxtapositions.
A modern woman’s style is more versatile than ever – allowing us to combine elegance, grunge, slouch and structure all within the same outfit, not to mention our closet. Wang has taken this idea and created a series of pieces that can be effortlessly styled together in numerous easy combinations. Versatile designs include light-wash, high-waisted, straight jeans, a black-and-white check boyfriend blazer, and a black cropped T-shirt.
New York in the Nineties inspired a black slip dress peppered with tiny pink flowers. Wang brings it in to the 21st century by layering it with an oversized white T-shirt rolled at the sleeve. The whole look is one piece but presents itself as two – so the expert styling has already been done for you. Along the same vein is a simple, gray marl sweatshirt, draped on the shoulders of another sweater in the same fabric. If you’re striving for the ultimate cool-girl look, these pieces are a must.
From a design perspective, Wang is hugely influenced by the urban landscape of New York and the cultures that merge there. The designer says of the collection that he wanted to evoke the mood of “the wife that wants out of her ivory tweed tower, or the sidewalk hawker lusting for a slicker suit.” The former takes the shape of well-fitted tailoring and kitten-heel slingbacks paired with the raw honesty of denim. For the latter, it’s worn cotton tees and sporty terry knits married with richer fabrics, such as silk and leather. The combinations of basics, classic tailoring and feminine shapes are the very embodiment of the Alexander Wang brand.
The collection is designed to challenge stereotypes. In many ways, it’s what the designer strives for on a personal level. As a first-generation Asian-American, Wang is breaking free of socio-economic barriers, grasping opportunities, being fearless and representing his customer in their truest form. He’s not trying to dictate style but rather encourage, inspire and support individualism. His pieces don’t overwhelm or shout, they complement and whisper with a gracious simplicity.
Wang says that you can have power without formality and this latest collection proves just that.