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Alexander Wang: A Whiter Shade of Modern

Alexander Wang, the designer who one can legitimately argue dresses the coolest downtown fashion tribe in New York, a gang known to favor black, today presented a pretty spectacular collection that contained barely a drop of that color.

Made some 80 percent in white, all the way through to the remarkable graffiti prints at the finale, Wang’s spring 2011 collection, shown Saturday, Sept. 11, was a thoroughly well executed statement of light layering, assured cutting and adroit folding, creating the freshest and nattiest clothes we will probably see this season.

It would be unfair to characterize Wang as making modern American sportswear, as many people do. He’s a much better designer than that term suggests, someone who takes lots of sportswear ideas, but so radically revamps them, what hits the runway is radically new fashion.

So, his judo jackets, parachute leggings, terry cloth polo shirts or mesh bras get cut, folded, rouched and stretched with such novelty and aplomb they all look hyper contemporary.

Much of his opening white looks were edged and trimmed with gold, like a spectacular sleeveless foil jacket worn with faded satin fatigue shorts over leggings.

Staged in Pier 54, an immense warehouse on the Hudson River, the show attracted Lenny Kravitz, U.K. singer M.I.A., Maggie Gyllenhaal and model/designer Erin Wasson to its front-row.

The designer got a huge applause at the finale of a show that also featured lots of innovative fabric combinations – excellent compress silk trenches and several snazzy knitted raffia tops and jackets that will be surefire best-sellers.

Wang also uses an expert crew to stage his shows, French lighting ace Thierry Dreyfus, Paris runway DJ Frederic Sanchez, savvy stylist Karl Templar and hair stylist Guido Palau whose use of white paste added a Japanese Noh Theatre element. Wang also added a great piece of bravura staging with a monumental floating sculpture in silver that summed up the joie de vivre of this fashion moment.

Wang climaxed with some brilliant graffiti print looks, though in such faded hues of white and ecru the usually aggressive feel on graffiti felt almost impressionistic.

“Optimism, believe in the future, trying something new, nothing in black!” commented Wang backstage post show. Breathless, giggling, the designer received an avalanche of compliments after a show that summed up the current New York obsession with quirky ladylike elegance.

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