SEOUL FASHION WEEK SS16 DAY 3
Hera Seoul Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 is underway at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. MUTZINE has exclusive coverage of the runway shows this season featuring top models, celebrity cameos, and of course, the latest fashions. We recap day three of the excitement. Review what happened on days one and two.
Words Cessi Treñas, Media Michael Hurt & Gissella Ramirez-Valle
J KOO
Designers Choi Jin Woo and Koo Yeon Joo have graduated from the faux fur accents and raw edges that amply embellished their last two seasons’ collections in favor of a sheer sophistication. Clean hemlines and liberal amounts of lace refreshed the label’s signature style, elevating their representative sporty elegance to edgy refinement. However, it wasn’t all ruffles and sweetheart necklines: chaotic prints that resembled muddled watercolor from a distance reflected the theme of decollage––tearing away and removing -- the collage’s polar opposite. Letting their diverse line do the talking, this year's Spring-Summer show saw the designers staying true to their streak of minimal make-up and straightforward hair styling. Another J KOO essential that lived to see the season? A sufficient sprinkling of cooler-than-thou sunglasses.
beyond closet
Those looking for love came up empty-handed after beyond closet’s afternoon show, an unanticipated celebration of the anti-romantic and of designer Ko Taeyong’s adaptation of a more timeless look. Aptly titled "Nomantic", the collection featured broken hearts as a central theme for its opening. Delicate button-downs left partially open to reveal slivers of skin and tailored trousers of varying fits were crucial elements of the show’s line-up, present in majority of the looks. Also of the essence were Ko’s selection of accessories: leis dangled from the necks of models during the finale, taking the show’s garden-like setting full-circle, while an assortment of straw hats, some in pristine condition and others slightly threadbare, complemented a number of outfits as they graced the runway.
LIE
LIE designer Lee Chung Chung’s greatest strength could very well be his understanding of women, as captured in his latest collection. The apple does not fall far from the tree as Lee's father, Korea's top designer Lie Sang Bong, shares that same innate understanding of women's fashion. Far beyond a mere assemblage of tailored garb and a curated color palette, LIE’s Spring/Summer designs were a salute to women of every kind: the feminine ladies, the lionhearted vixens, and every sensational persona in between. Geometric patterns, pleats, and ankle-brushing hemlines were all headliners in the unmistakably eclectic collection. The unifying factor? Undoubtedly the sideswept hair, raspberry pink lips, and platform sandals that remained a memorable constant in every look.
pushBUTTON
Maturity is one of life’s hardest lessons, but fortunately for pushBUTTON designer Park Seung Gun, time is the best teacher. A decade in the industry did nothing but good for the label, blooming into the plane of high fashion and achieving a sense of maturation in time for Spring. Bidding his inclination towards excess goodbye, Park’s line-up of garments, which opened with a refreshing chain of white ensembles and transitioned seamlessly into a racy set of sensual darks, preached of a new philosophy: everything in moderation. Remaining ever loyal to his famed prints, Park super sized his best-loved houndstooth patterns and scattered them, in a brilliant shade of yellow, adequately throughout the collection. A short series of lightweight, flimsy ensembles concluded the show, with model Lee Jihye sweeping the runway in a breezy purple maxi dress with an unexpected waist-high slit.
CHARM'S
From the stage set-up to rapper Giriboy’s short pre-finale appearance, the CHARM’S Spring/Summer show was a spectacle as much as it was a display of baseball-inspired street wear. An effortless postscript to its previous collection, a similar palette of black, white, navy, and brown was adapted into the assortment of light sweaters, structured jackets, and relaxed dresses. Designer Kang Yo Han got playful with pinstripes, taking the workwear-appropriate pattern out of the office setting and out on the show’s makeshift field. CHARM'S also delivered headwear aplenty: headbands, helmets, and caps topped off outfits and offered an extra kick of athletic appeal.