In a perverse way, you approach the new season craving irrational responses to the barrage of bad news that bombards all corners of human commerce. Just say no to playing it safe. Neil Barrett did. "You know, I’m fascinated by hybrids", he said backstage, as a practically superfluous reminder of his past cockeyed mash-ups. Tuxedo Ski ? Amish Punk ? This time, it was Abstract Eccentric. Barrett dissected the wardrobe of an English country gentleman and reordered it in trompe l’œil collages.
Sounds way too cerebral, I know, but the experiment pushed the designer out of his usual comfort zone of hyper-controlled precision to great effect. So the lapels of one coat became a kind of muffler under another. The leggings that peeped out from under cropped pants were actually knit anklets. Knit cable-stitching was embossed on a leather sweatshirt and a jacket. And a polo shirt was stitched inside another jacket to create a two-for-one effect (maybe that constitutes value in the current climate). In other words, nothing was quite what it seemed. If the general air of skewed proportions and destabilized familiarity felt like the kind of thing Rei Kawakubo does on a regular basis, then that is simple testament to Barrett’s success in letting his freak flag fly. He gets Milan’s quantum-leap prize.
Sounds way too cerebral, I know, but the experiment pushed the designer out of his usual comfort zone of hyper-controlled precision to great effect. So the lapels of one coat became a kind of muffler under another. The leggings that peeped out from under cropped pants were actually knit anklets. Knit cable-stitching was embossed on a leather sweatshirt and a jacket. And a polo shirt was stitched inside another jacket to create a two-for-one effect (maybe that constitutes value in the current climate). In other words, nothing was quite what it seemed. If the general air of skewed proportions and destabilized familiarity felt like the kind of thing Rei Kawakubo does on a regular basis, then that is simple testament to Barrett’s success in letting his freak flag fly. He gets Milan’s quantum-leap prize.
