Blake Hyland Spring 2017

 

Blake Hyland has a reputation for outrageous clothes, and conceptual and deconstructed pieces made from recycled materials. For his spring 2017 collection Hyland focused on more practical wearable clothes while still maintaining his unique aesthetic. The results were stunning.

Though this is Hyland’s first time showing during New York Fashion Week, Hyland’s spring 2017 collection is his third collection. “I’m just trying to concentrate on making a more wearable collection for the majority of people but still having elements that are true to me and my style.” Hyland told Fashion Reverie.

For the spring 2017 collection, entitled, “Equality,” Hyland used black, white and varying shades of grey. Hyland combined these graphic, neutral colors to create dramatic eye-catching geometric shapes. Although the collection was clearly casual street wear, Hyland did uniquely juxtapose street culture against athletic wear, in other words athleisure wear. Hyland spoke of his influences “I grew up in a world of surfing and skateboarding, it seems to work its way into the clothes I design.”

After using black, white and grey, the final four looks incorporated red to make strong political statements that were unfortunately undercut by some questionable styling choices. One model’s long dark hair fell over the words on her chest, obscuring the message. Another had a hoodie layered over his political tee that featured Hilary Clinton—perhaps vomiting? It’s unclear.

The final look consisted of graphic tee of a washed out image of Donald Trump with “Erase the disgrace” in red type along with a black beret evoking memories of the 1968 student riots in France. The graphic elements combined with Hyland’s fabrics choices of silk, snakeskin, and linen, resulted in chic, dramatic and elegant pieces that were easy to wear that makes statements that are understood universally.

While the crushing heat at the venue was reminiscent of Kanye West’s disastrous show on Roosevelt Island during the previous week, an audience member was clearly overheard saying, “This is what Kanye’s clothes would look like if Kanye was a really good designer.” Well put!!

—Cameron Grey Rose

Image credits

• blake-hyland-spring-2017.jpg — Editorial image.
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