RICK OWENS FW16 MASTODON MENS BACKSTAGE

LAST SUMMER, MY BETTER HALF, HUN, INSTALLED BEEHIVES ON THE ROOF OF OUR HOUSE. IT’S NOT SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT BUT I COULD SEE SHE WAS INSTINCTIVELY RESPONDING TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES WE ALL FEEL. CHANGE CAN BE OMINOUS BUT ISN’T EVOLUTION INEVITABLE? DO WE REALLY EXPECT TO LIVE FOREVER? OR MIGHT WE GRACEFULLY GO THE WAY OF THE DINOSAUR… OPENING A NEW STORE ON LA BREA AVE IN L.A. MADE ME REMEMBER THE LA BREA TAR PITS, PUTTING ME ON THIS TRAIN OF THOUGHT… (THE LA BREA TAR PITS ARE A U.S. LANDMARK THAT HAVE PRESERVED THE BONES OF PREHISTORIC ANIMALS THAT WERE TRAPPED THERE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.) BALANCING CONTROL AND COLLAPSE IS WHAT I’VE BUILT MY AESTHETIC ON— DISCIPLINE VS INDULGENCE, IMMORTALITY VS ITS DEFEAT, ARCHITECTURE VS WILDERNESS… I’VE BEEN ROMANTICIZING STRAIGHT LINES FOR A WHILE BUT HERE THEY’RE FRACTURED AND INCOMPLETE, LETTING AN ORGANIC ENERGY SEEP THROUGH, MOST OBVIOUSLY IN LUGUBRIOUSLY DRIPPING SPLASHES— MY VERSION OF PRIMORDIAL OOZE. FASHION’S EVOLUTION HAS EXPRESSED IDEALS OF BEAUTY THROUGH EXAGGERATION LIKE STRETCH JEANS, STILETTOS, BUSTLES AND PANNIERS… I’VE USED VOLUME AT THE PELVIS TO CONSTRUCT THE EFFECT I THINK PANNIERS WERE INTENDED FOR— TO CREATE AN IMPOSING DISPLAY FOR THE LOWER HALF OF THE BODY; A FRAME SUSPENSEFULLY COVERED WITH A CURTAIN. SHAPES IN THICK COTTON MOLESKINS AND WOOL SUITING ARE TIGHT AND CONTROLLED AT THE TOP, GRADUALLY EXPANDING AT THE HIPS TO DRAG AND MELT TREE TRUNK-LIKE INTO THE GROUND. SHEARLINGS ARE THE SIMPLEST O