BEAUTY: Clothing--Bobby Abley

For London Collections: Men, infantilized designer Bobby Abley showed a Spring-Summer '16 collection based, as usual, on pop culture images of childhood. But instead of his usual darkly sinister take on Disney (previously part of The Man Show, here and here), he looked to another staple of little boys' fantasies: the "Star Wars" franchise. And it seems to be perfect timing since the newest chapter in the saga will be released in December, 2015.

Abley's collections feature lighthearted silhouettes that are reminiscent of pajamas or playwear but usually feature some kind of subverted motif that implies there is danger and darkness lurking for every child. And if that is not literal, then it is meant to imply that there is an adulthood waiting to destroy every child. But this Star Wars collection seems to be missing that element. Maybe Abley was a true Star Wars fan as a child. And this feels good for him. Whatever it is, it feels good all around. After he sent his iconic Teddy Bear into space on the first few pieces, the cast of characters showed up: Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Boba Fett, C3PO. It's just cute...especially the "Chewy" sweater in brown fur (notice though that it is written in Disney font!--The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for $4.5 billion in 2012, and Abley must be part of the merchandising and marketing machine, otherwise how would he be able to get away with using copyrighted images and characters in this way?).

http://www.bobbyabley.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--MAN

At any one time, MAN Studio supports a trio of young and emerging designers for three seasons--and then kicks them out of the nest, so to speak. For Fall Winter '14-'15, we have returning to the runway Alan Taylor, Bobby Abley, and Craig Green who gets kicked out of the nest with this, his final collection.

Let's look at the runway show and you can see how strikingly different designers visions can be.

Wearing one of Alan Taylor's voluminous suits must be like wrapping oneself in a gigantic wool blanket. I love the unusual cut of these suits (a hallmark of his work so far), and especially the notched hem detail on the coats. The Matisse-inspired cutouts of a dancing figure add a crisp, modern touch.

Bobby Abley once again aims to scare the crap out of us. He is honestly enamored of all things Disney, but he always pulls the naiveté of the cartoon world into the real world, juxtaposing it with the end of innocence and childhood. I suppose it happens to every child, and perhaps we are all still a little shell shocked from the transition to adulthood. Indeed, in this Fall Winter '14-'15 collection, Abley seems to liken adulthood to a horrible nightmare. With young men sporting widow's peaks and silver mouthguards forcing the models' mouths into a silent scream or vicious growl, he references Hannibal Lecter. With the word "BRAINS" in the classic Disney font, I am reminded of Lecter cooking a piece of Ray Liotta's vivisected brain in the second film installation of the Lecter saga. A gruesome, horrific moment. And Abley plays with it. Along with the pink mohair, iconic Mickey Mouse eyes and ears, and stuffed animals, Abley gives us barbed wire, caps adorned with Maleficent horns (the witch from "Sleeping Beauty"), and images of her familiar, a raven named Diablo. With tee shirts and pullovers in the final looks of his collection proclaiming "R.I.P." and "Dream On," again in the classic Disney font (I don't know how Bobby Abley hasn't yet been sued by Disney), it's clear that childhood does and will end for us all...

Craig Green's farewell collection was full of grace, solemnity, and quiet beauty. Resembling fashionable Shinto shinshoku (priests) or itinerant Buddhist monks, Green's models wore skull caps, black floppy versions of woven straw hats, and flowing vestments with a sense of reverence. Looks alternated between ascetic black and intricate, mandala-like prints. A backpack accessory with extremely long straps topped off the allusion to Shinto priests. It is a strikingly beautiful collection, and we wish Craig Green continued success. Let's hope he gives us more to see, more to admire, and more to be inspired by.

http://alantaylordesign.co.uk/
http://www.bobbyabley.com/
http://craig-green.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--The MAN Show, London Collections: Men

And here we go!

The summer shows have officially started with yesterday's premier day of London Collections: Men. The MAN show, as usual, featured three designers. And although these designers are ostensibly presenting stand-alone collections, it sure looks as if these three got together and plotted out a story to tell... the story of how a boy grows into adulthood.

First up was designer Bobby Abley whose œuvre normally includes primary-colored references to cartoons. His infantilized collection for Spring-Summer '14 featured sheer material and pieces that resembled pajamas. The collection prominently featured his favored teddy bear motif, while Disney-esque birds (nearly the exact ones who attended to Snow White) appeared on clothing, and on the bodies of the models in the form of tattoos. These motifs mixed with fleur-de-lis and a fun trompe-l'œil basketweave... and somehow, it all makes sense. One shirt proudly proclaimed the wearer to be "KING" and models sported paper crowns, which of course brought to mind Max being crowned King of the Wild Things in Maurice Sendak's classic children's book WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. The final look of the collection saw another slogan shirt but instead of celebrating childhood and make-believe, it said simply THE END, marking not only the end of the collection but the end of childhood and innocence as well.

This was followed by Alan Taylor's smart collection of clothing seemingly from adolescence represented by school boy uniforms (I particularly like the sheer blazer) and tunics that resemble shop aprons in utilitarian grey and white.

And the final act of life, adulthood, was expressed well with Craig Green's confusion-inducing creations. Not so confusing for us, the viewers, but confusing for the models: they were sent down the runway either blindfolded or wrapped in sculptures made from painted cardboard that impaired their vision. What a statement for adulthood: we are all flying blind, just learning as we go, doing the best we can, maneuvering life's obstacles. (Green employed a similar presentation last year for the MAN show, wrapping his models in headpieces of splintered shards of lumber, seen here.) The tie-dyed prints, a staple of hippie or Grateful Dead culture, could be mistaken for a happy, fun element but in this instance, the disorienting explosions of the tie dye strike me as a metaphor for chaos and uncertainty, things we as adults must face daily.

http://www.bobbyabley.com/
http://alantaylordesign.co.uk/
http://craig-green.com/