Alexander Wang A/W 2014

If you're going to drag fashion editors 40 minutes away from the city centre to the New York borough of Brooklyn for a late night fashion show in the middle of an icy winter, expectations amongst show guests are inevitably going to run higher than usual. From first glance, it was hard to fully comprehend Alexander Wang's unusual choice of location. After all, only a tiny corner of an enormous white steel and glass building, sitting in the midst of The Brooklyn Navy Yard, had been colonised for the show space. We could have, potentially, been anywhere. Much of the discomfort, however, soon dissipated with the arrival of twitching lights and thunderous music, followed by a storm of stomping feet belonging to models encased in over the knee boots with built in shin guards and white rubber soles. Wang put on the power this season, significantly upping his fashion ante in a more menacing, aggressive way. Part of this had to do with the women's hair, which had been spray painted a matte burglar black and clipped short like a boy's; but mainly it was thanks to clothes that were bulky, boxy, oversized and stiffened. Leather shorts and skirts, for example, were embossed and mutilated with perforations, while shearling and net jackets had the proportions of a refrigerator. Sportswear hybrids are where Wang excels and this season he delivered stellar grey flannel or navy wool jackets that were covered in fisherman's pockets and paired with shin guard mule boots. The rotating fashion carousel was a final flourish, and all in good fun. But couldn't it have happened at Pier 94 in Manhattan?
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
JJ Martin
-
Wild sauna, anyone? The ultimate guide to exploring deep heat in the UK outdoors
‘Wild Sauna’, a new book exploring the finest outdoor establishments for the ultimate deep-heat experience in the UK, has hit the shelves; we find out more about the growing trend
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 shows
The Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to know
Designing the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Everything you need to know about the Met Gala 2025 and ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ exhibition
Everything Wallpaper* knows about the Met Gala 2025 – from the dress code to the exhibition theme and A-list co-chairs
-
Sarah Moon brings painterly fashion and dark fantasy to Fotografiska New York
Octogenarian French photographer and filmmaker Sarah Moon shows 30 years of work at Fotografiska New York – spanning fashion and fantasy, mystery and the macabre, it’s dark, painterly and compelling
-
‘In America: A Lexicon of American Fashion' is coming to The Met
The first of a two-part, year-long extravaganza, ‘In America: A Lexicon of American Fashion’ is organised into 12 sections that seek to define the emotional qualities in American style
-
Saint Laurent celebrates 40 years of Memphis Group
Memphis Group's milestone birthday is celebrated with a series of colourful furniture installations across the French maison's concept boutiques
-
‘A place for the eye to pause’: Ulla Johnson unveils New York HQ
The Manhattan-born fashion designer opens a warmly-hued style sanctuary, created in collaboration with architect Rafael de Cárdenas
-
Es Devlin-designed time-travelling exhibition opens at The Met’s Costume Institute
‘Our aim is to communicate the phenomenon of time as it is expressed through the female form,’ says Devlin of the exhibition she has designed alongside curator Andrew Bolton
-
A decade of fashion show history in pictures
British photographer Jason Lloyd Evans shares his favourite backstage images, from the runway shows of Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Armani, Proenza Schouler, Versace and more
-
Theory A/W 2020 New York Fashion Week Women’s