Mood board: The collections of Madame Woo and daughter Katie Chung always err on the delicate side of masculinity, without any hint of dress-up. For S/S they showed a range of fluid clothes with checks, stripes and wavy lines fit for all sorts of boys about town. A range of playful, sensitive contrasts were present throughout; shoulder seams on tailored jackets were lightly puckered, graphic windowpane check was used on bigger, more volumous trousers and shorts oozed a rippled cool.
Best in show: Sol LeWitt’s epic wall drawings were a key reference. Chung said backstage that she was struck by the sensitivity and beauty of their haphazard precision. There is a synergy between the radical geometry of the prints for the season and the sway of the cloth. Details taken from the protective wear worn by Olympic Shooting athletes provided graphic shapes that were applied asymmetrically to the back of spongy overcoats.
Sound bite: We had been thinking about doing something on Sol LeWitt’s work for almost a year now and the time felt right for spring,’ said Katie Chung. ‘We wanted to combine the essence of his graphic work with classic menswear patterns like checks and pinstripes. There’s a play on contrast throughout the collection; we made sure to match rigid fabrics with textiles that were more romantic and soft. We’re always interested in this softer side to masculine style.’
