It’s a new turn for R13, whose grunge-tinged repertoire took a decidedly modern approach to heritage dressing this season with streetwear influence. Dramatic in shape and boldly confident in design, statement pieces like men’s wear-inspired blazers and coats were cut with a gender-ambiguous hand that felt very of-the-moment. A little askew, a lot oversized, wholly lust-worthy. Call it the Vetements effect.
“This idea of timelessness and heritage, it just felt like no one’s ever taken these things and really brought it into a modern context,” designer Chris Leba said backstage following the show. “You know I also love grunge. I love that timelessness and sort of relevance all at the same time.”
Design elements could boil down to ultrahip statement shoulders, hefty, oversized outerwear and consuming sweaters set disproportionately against tight tailoring and slinky slips. Stylistically, Leba kept the drama up top with the occasional leather or plaid skinny cropped flares. More than that, the masculine-feminine push-pull straddled such a thin line that gender restrictions hardly came to mind. Though the concept was “borrowed from the boys,” the aftermath could easily be a reverse dynamic.
As for highlights, oversized leather jackets with shearling or fur accents were clear winners, as were suiting options.
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