These Lips Might Sink Ships...: Altuzarra

Growing up in a suburb of Seattle in the 1990's, you'd think I was raised on grunge or something. At least that's what everyone who isn't from Seattle seems to think. Truthfully, I love Nirvana now, I love Hole now, but I was never immersed in that world. Whether it be my age (born 1991) or the fact that I lived on a boring street in a middle-class world—then again, Kurt was from Aberdeen—I didn't fully experience grunge until its time had passed. It is therefore extremely fascinating to see how that part of the 90's is being interpreted today. Joseph Altuzarra's Fall/Winter 2011 collection is already being compared to Marc Jacobs' notorious and iconic grunge collection for Perry Ellis of 1992. Having seen looks from that collection and knowing the story, I'd say that's a thrilling comparison to have made about your work. Altuzarra's inspiration started with the effortless style of Kate Moss in the 90's. The waif wild child would sometimes style her evening dresses with a utilitarian parka, just as we see in the collection. These modern versions look entirely welcoming, especially due to their oversized proportions and appear throughout the collection, making outerwear a focus, just like Altuzarra's friend Alexander Wang. The lace-up boots and the sheer tops are other notable pieces of the era, successfully made modern, in part because of the way they are thrown together. In theory, referencing something so relatively recent shouldn't feel fresh, but somehow Altuzarra has made it anew. Another no less impressive achievement of the young designer is utilizing argyle prints without causing me to projectile vomit. There are very few things in the realm of fashion that I hate and argyle is one of them. Perhaps the way the printed fabric falls loosely strips the print of its rigidity. The sensual, slip-like silk dresses are fantastic inclusions as well, but the penultimate look, with its swinging metal fringe is the outfit that drives the point home. That point being, Joseph Altuzarra is an immensely talented young designer.

Daphne Groeneveld