With white as the anchoring color, black and brown only served as instruments to form a defined palette; notably, this is probably the tightest palette from Owens in a while. But alarmingly, in the middle of all the subtle tones, a Gareth Pugh-esque, optical illusion print disturbs the peace. Perhaps this is more of Owens’ experimentation with prints. Uhh…
The collection began with some of Owens’ staples that followers of his are all too familiar with, such as the long, one-button coats. Along with his signatures, he showed variations of them, with minor tweaks; a long-sleeved coat conveniently turned into short sleeve, for instance. As the collection progresses it begins to resemble a montage of past seasons of both men’s and women’s collections infused together. It is no secret that Rick Owens likes to recycle the same silhouettes and ideas, with small changes here and there for a pinch of revitalization. For some RO aficionados, this is what draws them to him. However, the repeat button was pressed too many times and the collection ran the risk of becoming platitudinous. Sometimes what works one season, doesn’t always work the next or if it worked well for the women’s collection, doesn’t neccesarily mean it will work well for the men (i.e. the one shoulder tanks, note women’s SS2010). The androgyny aspect did not really work. Not this time.
Many of the garments are not even able to provide a sense of nostalgia because the silhouettes, from which these pieces are borrowed from, are still fresh in our minds; really they are no more than two seasons old. The mystique is gone and we are bored.
