Uma Wang was yearning for the great outdoors.
For her fall collection, the Chinese designer looked to the pampas, taking her inspiration from the work of Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges and putting her distinctive poetic spin on gaucho silhouettes.
Textured fabrics recalled the graceful yet animalistic nature of a thoroughbred horse’s hide, sensually rendered in wool or a hand-dyed eco-alpaca fur — made without harming the creature itself — that was a major element of the collection. It was used on cocoon-like coats and vests, and paired with Wang’s elongated tailored forms.
She patched together opulent brocades, crushed velvet and plaid in muted jewel-like hues. The wide-legged pants tapered a little toward the ankle, while shirt sleeves hung down well beyond the hands, adding a louche touch to the silhouette.
Velvet, a house favorite, was used for an oversize wrap jacket and matching pants, punctuated by a continuing vertical stripe for an outfit that nodded to workwear of the most elevated kind. Dégradé wool in earthy khaki and deep blood red was used to create what looked like a dress, draped across the body, but was actually a hybrid between a men’s suit and a poncho, a demonstration of Wang’s skill with construction.
Once more this season, she succeeded in conjuring the sense of a mysterious yet familiar, age-old soul in her fabric treatments while offering up distinctive, appealing silhouettes.