The Year of the Fire Monkey signifies ambition and adventures. Designer Vivienne Tam's Fall 2016 show shifted away from her native China as her collection's muse and moved her gaze to Turkey. Her runway for NY Fashion Week was created around looks observed in Turkish streetwear and mosaic tiles. It also looked at how its chicest citizens were adept at upcycling creative elements.
How did this translate into Tam's own clothing? You can see various patterns created in her dresses and separates. The prints are inspired by the various hand-painted motifs found on the tiles of Turkish architecture. Dresses with cut fabric appliques is tonal colors echo the pieced textures of mosaics. The larger embroidered applique graphics are exaggerated scale of tile patterns. There were handbags and garments that also had a folded, origami-like effect that echoed the trompe l'oeil overlapping tile look that is achieved with geometric tile layouts.As it was a streetwear-inspired collection, the models were styled very casually for the runway. Hair was in loose, tousled waves. Lips were pale. Eyes and brows were defined but not exaggerated.
I have always been a big fan of how Vivienne Tam mixes texture and a tongue-in-cheek update of traditional inspiration and modern technology. I love her consistent use of rich red, purple and black because those are, selfishly some of my favorite fashion colors. Though I didn't show them here, I felt I should note there were plenty of black and white combos, camel and brown in the fall offerings as well.
If you love your fall looks embellished with culture and texture, Vivienne Tam Fall 2016 is the way to go.
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| All photos by Mariana Leung |
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