The editors in attendance at the Matthew Ames show at Milk Studios indicated he's definitely one to watch -- from blogger Tavi to Patricia Field herself -- and Ames rewarded us with a lovely return to minimalist, fashion-as-art design: silk dresses, harem pants, and jackets with barely a seam visible.
The runway show really set the tone of a return to gallery-cool dressing -- the music Ames chose was more soundscape than song (it was, in fact, at times piercing), and Ames chose to remove the center row at Milk's runway space, creating a massive open area with zero decor where the models walked on a simple concrete floor.
The most wearable off-the-runway pieces were a series of silk dresses -- some sleeved, some off-the-shoulder -- in colors that ranged from bright white to neon pink and orange. The dresses were an exercise in one-step dressing, a reminder that sometimes throwing on a simple, perfectly draped dress is all you need to look utterly chic.
That said, the most enticing things to watch coming down the runway were the sheer ballooned organza pants, worn over swimsuits. One black pair with a splash of scarlet was particularly eye-catching, even if we might not be brave enough to attempt the no-pants trend.
