In choreography a single movement can be manipulated and developed to create through energy, space and time a series of dynamic variations that then form a complete and coherent performance. Concepts such as movement and dynamism are also part of the fashion design process since garments must guarantee a good degree of functionality to the wearer.
Amanda Phelan's moved from such ideas and principles not just in her Spring/Summer 2016 collection, but also in her presentation at New York Fashion Week. Staged at the East Village theatre La MaMa, it started with a performance featuring four female dancers choreographed by Vim Vigor Dance Company founder Shannon Gillen.
There was actually a further relation between dancers' movements and designs: the former were indeed inspired by the rhythms of the machinery employed to manufacture Phelan's knitwear pieces.
This may not be a desperately new idea as we saw the clicks and noises of looms at work being used a few years ago as the soundtrack to a Missoni exhibition to create an auditory journey and musical pattern that could complement the designs on display, but Brooklyn-based Phelan (who formerly worked as Alexander Wang knitwear designer) made sure the choreography highlighted rather than complemented the patterns, constantly reminding the audience of the multi-dimensional properties (stretchy and expandable, but also intriguing from a tactile point of view) of some of her pieces.
Phelan coherently went from dynamic dresses in a liquid electric blue light-reflecting yarn to skirts and gloves covered in an abstract pattern of bold brush strokes (another reference to movement and speed rather than art) matched with knitted tops with three-dimensional and architectural spike-like formations and structures.
Three-dimensionality was a major theme also when it came to the ribboned skirt and dress, the ribbed knitted tops, and the bubble and bump formations incorporated in some of the designs.
Phelan also proved she was able to moderate the thickness of her pieces, coming up with flimsy silvery dresses designed to cling to the body (imagine a sensual and knitted version of Martha Graham's jersey tube for "Lamentation") that gave the illusion they were made of thick shiny steel.
Quite a few models donned smart long opera gloves on the runway, but all of them looked dynamically smart and powerful also thanks to the sneakers or flat platform sandals matched with all the designs featured in the collection that gave even the most refined pieces a urban appeal.
The theme of dark and light triumphed in the final three numbers enriched with strips of light catching strips. Though reminiscent of some of the dresses in Iris Van Herpen's "Escapism" collection and of her costumes for the New York City Ballet gala, they seemed less rigid and more wearable, light, supple and pliable enough to guarantee movement.
In a performance piece developing each idea at its best is an important skill, one that separates the choreographer from the dancer; in fashion, developing a coherent collection is what separates the designer from the stylist, and, while not everything may have been 100% perfect on the Phelan runway and some movements have still got to be tuned, the young designer still managed to produce an appealing and innovative collection, with knits that displayed a consistent technical research that was simply lacking on the runways of more famous designers showcasing during New York Fashion Week.
There is just one dilemma to answer now: it would be interesting to know if the looks the dancers donned during the performance and in Phelan's preview video will also be part of the collection. Yet, if that's not the case, Phelan's new fans shouldn't worry - they will still find plenty to choose in the rest of the collection.
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