Shang Xia Collection For the launch of The Chinese luxury Brand
When
Yang Li showed his launch collection for the Chinese luxury brand Shang
Xia last October he did it on the Paris runway. This time around, he
said he chose to use the informal pictures the design studio takes
during the fitting process as a look book, the better to emphasize the
clothes and accessories’ real-world applications. Season one, he set
forth the brand’s tailoring foundations, which are strongly informed by
’90s minimalism. Without neglecting suiting and sharply cut coats, he
made sportswear basics an essential focus of season two.
“I really
want to push simplicity and archetypes, such as the hoodie and the
T-shirt, really hone them to perfection because I think that’s a very
modern way of dress for everybody right now,” Li said. His Shang Xia
sweatshirt is made from double-face boiled wool with a napa leather
pocket—it’s not your standard issue Champion or Russell Athletic cotton.
The double-face T-shirt’s singularity comes down to cut; it can be worn
normally, the way T-shirts have been worn since T-shirts were invented,
or with the sleeves tossed behind the shoulders like a mini cape.
Cut
is one of Li’s fixations, and squares, circles, and triangles are part
of his Shang Xia vocabulary. A double-face white knit column dress was
designed with a square-cut back; where it folds over at the shoulder, it
creates a dramatic, almost sculptural line and provides a flash of
high-contrast color. Color is another emphasis at Shang Xia; a similar
dress combining Kelly green and that bright sky blue was worn over a
pink second-skin bodysuit.
Shang
Xia, like Hermès which it was modeled in part after, is a maker of more
than fashion. For fall, Li sharpened the connection between his part of
the company and its lifestyle products. The teddy jacket that opens the
look book, for example, is made from a bamboo silk tweed that echoes
the bamboo marquetry of a tea set. Similarly, the graphic stripes
intarsia’d down the spine of coats are lifted from Ming Dynasty chairs
which tend to feature rectangular backbones. Those nods to brand and
cultural heritage aside, the overall effect is one of forward-looking
future-wear, thanks to the clean, minimal lines Li favors and the
perfectionism with which he finishes his clothes both outside and in.
Also contributing to that impression: the collection’s playful
bubble-soled shoes.
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