RICK OWENS SS17 WOMENS - WALRUS

AS ALWAYS, THE WOMEN’S COLLECTION SHARES THE SAME NAME AS ITS MEN’S COUNTERPART— AND THIS SPRING’S NAME IS ‘WALRUS’. THE IDEA OF USING THE NAME OF AN ALIEN-LOOKING CREATURE SO FAR REMOVED FROM OUR EVERYDAY WORLD HELPS ME THINK OF MAKING CLOTHES IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ETERNITY OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL CYCLES AND FRAGILE ECOLOGICAL BALANCES. I AM REMINDED OF, AND SOMEWHAT COMFORTED BY, OUR MINUSCULE PRESENCE IN THAT TRAJECTORY. FRAGILITY IS WHAT I WAS GOING FOR THIS SEASON. BLOBS OF LINEN TULLE AND THREADWORN T-SHIRT JERSEY ARE HAPHAZARDLY DRAPED AND SWAGGED, TWISTED AND WRAPPED AROUND THE BODY, GENTLY AND SOFTLY DISTORTING IT. CROPPED JACKETS CONSTRUCTED OF TULLE AND BUCKRUM SCAFFOLDING ARE A BLUNT AMERICAN’S CRUDE INTERPRETATION OF DELICATE ART NOUVEAU PARISIAN CONFECTION. BREEZY WINDBREAKERS ARE CUT IN GERMAN HORSHAIR ORIGINALLY PRODUCED IN THE 18TH CENTURY TO REPLACE SILK AND LATER USED FOR CRINOLINES. THE WEFT OF THE FABRIC IS WOVEN FROM THE STRANDS OF A HORSE’S TAIL AND RESULTS IN A VOLUME THAT HAS THE BRITTLE TEXTURE OF SPUN SUGAR. ‘FOG COATS’ ARE PRODUCED BY MAISON LEMARIÉ, THE LEGENDARY PARISIAN PLUMASSIER, FROM INDIVIDUAL OSTRICH STRANDS THAT HAVE BEEN HAND-KNOTTED END-TO-END AND THEN MOUNTED BY THE THOUSANDS ON SILK GAZAR COATS. THIS IS A TECHNIQUE INVENTED FOR THE FIRST REVILLON COLLECTION I DID YEARS AGO AND, FROM WHAT LEMARIÉ TELLS ME, NEVER DONE BY ANYONE ELSE. EXTRA LONG GLASS BUGLE BEADS CUSTOM MADE IN MURANO SKETCH OUT A RADIATING MOTIF ON THICK COTTON MANTLES T