The Tamesis
Urgent chants of mass protests played over the radio, kicking off a performance by Xu Zhi that flirted with various wearable codes originally intended to symbolize peace, love and progress. This dense wardrobe of Western dissent drew on the visual language of the late 1950s to the 1970s, blending Beat, bohemian, rock, left coast and hippie idealism into a sumptuously provocative synthesis.
Chen spoke backstage about creating “a fusion of the different heroes of the time” and reactivating their “energy of peace and love” for a new generation. Yet the codes of his collage have long since transitioned from the avant-garde to the nostalgic through the filters of history and luxury. Their performance here is so flashy that it seems to be anything but entertainingly aggressive.
The opening’s muted, militarized jacket paired with a long fringed skirt may have gently hinted at the rebellious tension between institutional norms and inciting change. The model looked perfect in a Lennon hat, brown leather pants and a wool tunic with gold buttons. Leopard print popped up throughout the collection: a mohair cardigan here, a gauze top there, often paired with long, flowing skirts.
Paisley trench coats and vests paired with matching tailored trousers, ruffled shirts, denim biker jackets, leather-trimmed wool capes, gold studded embroidered vests and fringed skirts, and a very cool two-belt military jacket full menswear look in a rough felt burgundy color filled Chen’s crowd. The looks that animated his show were those that were thematically least derivative, especially a hand-beaded and embroidered dress in silk viscose with curved fringe: these seemed more like statements than introductions.
