For fall, designer Tim Hamilton collaborated with NYC artist Ross Bleckner, from whom he'd rented a design studio while prepping for fashin week. After tolling the designer's smeared floral canvases, Hamilton proposed a fashion collaboration, with Bleckner bringing his signature nature-inspired patterns to silks and techie materials like vinyl and neoprene.
What emerged from the collision of these two remarkable talents was nothing short of extraordinary: the juxtaposition of Hamilton's modern, almost combative silhouettes against the softness of Bleckner's textiles gave the collection a freshness that's rare among designers of the futuristic/avant-garde persuasion. Citing "Aldous Huxley's dystopian fantasies" as inspiration, the line evoked a sci-fi novel set in a Victorian-era garden party.
The basics, however, were still on display for Hamilton fans that depend on him for asymmetrical moto jackets, perfectly-cropped pleated pants and clean shirting. But of the handful of womenswear looks that were presented last night, the basics were far outshone by wild printed jumpsuits, a zip-front printed coat and a pair of sheer, vaguely camo-patterned leggings layered beneath mis-matched sweaters and jackets. If not necessarily a dystopian fantasy, the collection was undoubtedly -- in the words of David Bowie -- something of a "moonage daydream."
