Rick Owens’ reliably theatrical runway antics did not disappoint this Spring-Summer 2016 season.
Models made their way down the Paris-based designer’s catwalk strapped to one another — some looking like giant backpacks, others resembling infants in baby carriers.
The designer said the collection, titled Cyclops, was about exploring the power of women in their relation to other women: as mothers, sisters, or a peer support network.
"It's a world of women I know little about and can only attempt to amuse in my own small way," he said, adding that the parachute-like straps represented support and cradling.
Not-so-literal explorations on the illusion of control — which is to say, the clothes — included a range of surprisingly light-as-air fabrics, which ranged from silk gazar to waxed leather and metallic aluminium foil-like material.
On one dress, a fistful of silk organza was twisted and draped into a giant abstract rose on the hip, or what Owens called “as close to florals as I'll probably ever get. A sculptural top-and-skirt ensemble mimicked the crumpled steel sculptures of John Chamberlain. Other ensembles mostly explored asymmetrical lines, geometric motifs and cut-off sleeves, resulting in fabric sculptures inspired by a Futurist-meets-Brutalist utopia.
