Everyone has heard the oft-bandied adage, “Less is more.” This simplicity dictum that has been one of the tried-and-true principles of great fashion also applies to Telfar’s spring 2017 collection. Except, there is one hitch. Perhaps, Telfar’s spring 2017 collection should hinge on the not often heard or spoken fashion adage, “Less is deceptively more.”
Every season Telfar continues its signature design aesthetic of taken well-worn American sportswear silhouettes and turning these silhouettes inside out. In other words, creative director Telfar Clemens deconstructs and adds his eclectic twist on classics, reimaging these looks as functional and wearable garments of the future.
What works so well in this season’s collection is that Telfar Clemens injects a bit of tongue-and-cheek humor into each garment. The classic polo shirt becomes a commentary on gender bending, awkward sexiness. From the front the polo shirts look no different than the average polo shirt, except that collar may appear to be on backward. However the back of the polo shirt could be a total reveal, dipping to regions unknown or at the very least regions not talked about in polite company.
The continuing trend of cutouts also pops up in this spring 2017 collection. However, Telfar, true to his brand DNA, uses cutouts in an innovative and interesting way. There are no cutouts on the sides of bodices, as seen in most collections. Instead, Telfar’s cutouts are fleshed out, so to speak, in unusual locations. There are cutouts in the side legs of jeans, around the shoulder blades of polo shirts, and just above the chest of polo shirts.
And in a nod to the sameness and blandness of big retail giant colors, the brand makes use of what it calls Martha Stewart and Old Navy colors—lime, tangerine, and mid-grad blue bold colors. It was a though Willy Wonka’s ‘oompah loompahs’ fell into a bucket of Home Depot paint!!
That said; the inside joke is on the fashion industry that sometimes pretends to value fashion above clothes, but in reality mostly cares about retail dollars. So, Telfar sarcastically plays with this hypocrisy while at the same time repurposing some standard silhouettes into his version of fashion.
Images courtesy of vogue.com
That’s right; clothes, which look, like fashion and are creatively fashionable!! In the words of Telfar Clemons, “Its not for you, It’s for everyone.”
—William S. Gooch
Speak Your Mind