The Tamesis
Mark Gong’s QR code invitation on WeChat was a simulated dating app competition. When we entered the show hosted by his Labelhood, every guest (including Simon Porte Jacquemus who was passing through Shanghai) found a pair of pink furry handcuffs left on their seats. Gong seemed itchy and in desperate need of a scratch. He said: “I’ve been single for two years! So it’s a very personal collection… all my friends call me ‘I have a problem’.”
I have a problem saying he’s still on the app and from the sounds of it, he’s looking for love in all the wrong places. But the collection was also, if not more important, fashion’s exploration of the more ephemeral material rewards of romance. The designer said his particular inspiration this season was Sabrina Carpenter: “She’s amazing. She’s sexy. She can make fun of herself. And also give in to her desires and say, ‘I want a man.'” I just think that’s really cool. So I really wanted to create a woman who dares to love who she wants to love. “
Gong’s women move around an apartment with many rooms, the color of which is coincidentally not far from the lavender of Jacques Mousse’s Spring 2020 Meads of Provence. These characters are not looking for someone to devour, but rather taking a breather between sessions that have already begun: they sometimes pull the raw collars of their knitted cardigan jackets over their chests to keep the garments from sliding off, and the skin visible around bras, skirts, knitwear, and furs is often stained red by the crinkly lipstick print of a passionate kiss.
This is a very hot thing. The white lace dress had “Situationship” printed on the hip in scarlet gothic font. Gong is committed to expressing desire and longing: he explored 50 shades from both sides of the coin in a 50-look collection that included skirts with built-in garter fastenings, fit-and-flare utilitarian skirts, drop-waisted organza ball skirts, decadently curly fur coats, rich fur details, plaid lace quirky boots, high-heeled pilgrim loafers, ultra-short hot pants, pleated-front and fitted floral jacquard dresses, lace-trimmed wool pencil dresses and trailing pom-pom accessories.
The designer said Carpenter’s sweet style softened his design vocabulary, applying his usual strong style through these experiments with florals and lovely colors and embellishments. “I wanted the show to taste like sugar,” he says, “but also make you taste the sugar and wonder if the taste hides a razor blade.” In today’s righteous world of fashion, sexuality is a topic fraught with potential pitfalls that doesn’t deserve to be discussed too often. But tonight Gong turned it on.
