Philipp Plein is a master of excess. It’s a trait that applies equally to his staging and his clothes. His space odyssey-themed fall runway came fully equipped with an 18-meter-wide floating spaceship, bright red laser lights, soapy artificial snow and giant moon rocks broken down by a tractor so a couple of snowmobiles could zip through. At some point, a Paralympic runner sprinted by in Plein Sport gear.
The show began an hour late with the spacecraft’s literal landing and the appearance of Irina Shayk in a skin-tight catsuit that read “I love you Philipp Plein.” (Was she up there the entire time? I may have missed a key moment.) After she took a lap hand-in-hand with a giant robot, models strutted out in the type of clothes you’d expect from such an elaborate production. Girls were clad in similarly skin-tight catsuits and bodysuits encrusted with crystals or cut with latex, oversize puffers with lots of flyaway logo straps, colorfully dyed fur coats and metallic crop tops for party nights out. On a rainy Saturday night, the clear plastic coats seemed like a kitschy way to stay dry while still flaunting your style. The boys donned spacesuit puffers, tougher pieces like studded biker jackets and latex trousers, along with sporty hoodies and backpacks created via a collaboration with Playboy, available beginning today at the Plein’s Mercer Street pop-up shop.
This was planet Plein, where difference and diversity isn’t a concern and you need only some serious attitude. Fantasy, high-street and luxury, and some questionable taste, it all collided in this audacious display.