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It was the lion lying with
lamb, a veritable Zen moment when the tough and the tender met in
the middle to create a new universe
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He is, in his own words, inspired by ‘geopolitics
and history’, believing that ‘the elements that affect our society
help one to forecast where trends are moving—[g]ood design always
respects the past and reflects the future.’ He also defines his
style as ‘intellectual purity’ with ‘each piece [being able to]
stand on its own, making it both complex and simple.’ His work is
meticulously crafted and is very much of the same school of thought
that gave rise to London’s Hussein Chalayan and Los Angeles’ Rick
Owens. He is experimental in his complex layering but at the same
time, his pieces are quite wearable and not that difficult to understand.
While most everyone else was looking towards Alice
in Wonderland and coming up with "pretty pretty" dresses,
Mr Hardy went far into the apocalyptic future and gave us a cleaner
version of Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome. His colour palette
was more along the lines of a sombre grey, black, various shades
of brown and off-white. This reviewer like most of what he saw but
what stood out in this collection were the sharply cut pants with
their high-waisted silhouettes and the various tops shown throughout
the viewing. He also knows how to cut a killer coat, yet still remaining
true to his vision.
Although it wasn’t readily apparent, Mr Hardy
managed to cover all the bases from day to evening, the proof being
his cowl neck halter dress and his crushed linen–cotton strapless
cocktail dress. What didn’t work were the pieces where he stretched
the boundaries. Some of the more deconstructed designs came across
as being a bit forced and lacking conviction. Nevertheless, this
was a fine effort by a bright young talent. Mr Hardy is only 30
years old and the world is truly his oyster.
Y & Kei
I SIMPLY LOVED the spring 2004 Y
& Kei collection. From their humble beginnings in 2001, the
husband-and-wife team of Hanii ‘Y’ Yoon and Gene ‘Kei’ Kang has
managed to grow and prosper in a business that doesn’t necessarily
welcome newcomers.
Their philosophy is one based on the Confucian
belief of the four pillars (‘to water the earth or to nourish the
world with beauty and happiness’). Ergo, from the beginning, their
designs were a daring mix of elegantly tailored clothes with astonishing
attention to detail, transcending cultural boundaries. They fuse
‘Asian philosophy and [an] avant-garde [sensibility] with an edge
of sexiness’ and harmoniously mix vintage with modern, street sophistication,
classic with couture, elegant with casual ‘to create innovative
clothes for the savvy and self-confident woman [as well as] young
women moved quiet, intelligent cuts and alluring beauty.’
CONTINUED
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