Dear Diane and Shaded Viewers,
It may have been Andre Landeros Michel's debut showing at NYFW, but these looks displayed a confidence that surely suggests otherwise.
"This collection is heavily influenced by music and art from the early eighties," the menswear designer explained, and there was indeed that wonderful touch of the decade's excess. Each look employed luxe fabrics like double-faced cashmere, silk charmeuse, plus furs including silver fox, racoon, sable and minx. Even the footwear was topped off with raw Chinese silk, mohair, and muskrat.
These outfits may have utilized sumptuous materials but there was nonetheless a subversively dark edge to it all. "As a teen, I was fascinated by the layering of music and art and how artists were communicating through their graphics and album covers and liner notes. The inspiration that spawned the music. The visual cues," the Parsons graduate adds. With nods to goth, New Wave and New Romantic music, the collection established his self-described look of "unconventional luxury".
A former intern at Thom Browne, Michel's first forays into design included a handbag collection for Oak NYC, inspired by bondage, S&M and fetishwear. Reflecting on his transition from then to his inaugural show last week, Michel notes: "This collection maintains the same thread, but with a softer approach. It’s not as rigid. It’s a lot more fluid and soft, the softest I’ve ever done.”
http://andrelanderosmichel.com/
Later,
Carla
