“Genesis” was the name of Shiatzy Chen’s fall collection, “a tribute to the forever burning passion and inspiration in us, reminding us that every step we take is a trace of our past effort,” summed up design director Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia in an emailed statement.
Visually, the flame within was rendered to look like fireworks, translated into allover fringing on coats, dresses and wide pants, in ostrich feather details that undulated as the models moved, on a green sequined dress with a mandarin collar for instance, or on tweed pieces dominated by white with multicolored tassels, adding interest to the silhouette.
There were indeed references to fashions of times gone by — there was even one design with a hooped skirt in black satin and lace — as well as 1980s influences that were used to create what Wang described as a “retro-modern look.” A brown leather bomber had a sequined front, and was worn as a total look with matching shorts.
Dressier pieces rubbed shoulders with bandana neckerchiefs or sporty zip-up ribbed collared tops featuring the brand’s name in what was summed up as “a new style of Oriental casual.”
Red and black dominated, but there were also splashes of jewel tones, again emulating a festive display in the sky at night. The colorful blurred prints were effective as a sleeveless jacket wrapped over simple black pants.
But while there were some appealing silhouettes in this eclectic collection, much of it was a fizzle, rather than an explosion.