This post is a part of Youth Are Awesome’s coverage of New York Fashion Week 2015.
In just handful of years, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne have seen incredible development of their brand. Public School has garnered top industry praise, winning the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2013, the CFDA Award for Menswear Design in 2014 and the first-ever International Woolmark Prize for menswear in 2015.
Known for their intelligently designed monochromatic streetwear, Chow and Osbourne imbued their urban ensembles with a refreshing tranquil sensibility for Public School‘s RTW SS16 presentation, marrying billowing high-fashion silhouettes with technical athletic elements.
Tones of black, white, and navy set the foundation, while intermittent streaks of alizarin red and pale blue composed a striking conversation on balance and compatibility. Gritty hardware taken directly from Public School’s grounded menswear collections cinched in the cascades of silky, effeminate gowns. Sporty sandals brought a sense of gravity and order to the fluid fabrics swelling from models’ dropped waist lines, while thick cable-knit sweaters and mesh vests postured some restraint against the generously cut liquid trousers. The collection exhaled an aura of oceanic quietude; soft, supple waves nestling up to the shore, rippling fabrics undulating in opposition to the models’ movements.
“This girl has grown up, this girl has traveled a bit and has come back home. You see her picking up pieces on her travels and coming back home but she’s always the New York City girl at heart. She’s been around the world and back. She has spent time in Europe and Asia but ultimately her home is here in New York City. She’s come back with a new perspective, enlightened and liberated in a way. That’s how we felt designing the collection.”
– Dao-Yi Chow
I particularly enjoy the practicality of this collection — the fabrics ebb and flow with a certain effortlessness, and work as nice transitional pieces. The type of spring ensemble you could either be seen lounging in at a pale Cuban beach with a cool drink in your hand, or lazing around on a Sunday afternoon at home in satiny comfort.
(Images 1-5 from NowFashion, Feature image by Olivia Locher)
