When Public School sent their Fall 2017 Collection down the runway last February, designers Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne clearly considered the climate in which their garments would be worn - both temporally and politically. Within the framing of their signature, sports-minded and streetwise aesthetic, the duo skillfully piled hard-to-miss political overtones atop cozy, oversized proportions and deconstructed basics. Defiance resonates in reinterpreted military-inspired pieces like this oversized, olive jacket with matching stripe details. What should be a tailored, two-piece suit has been reformed into a large hoodie disrupting the very legacy of a uniform in its standardized and regimental structure. I pulled the look together with a Chloe Faye bag and checkerboard Old Skool vans, matching the black and white color way to the stripe detail on the jacket. You can find these items IRL at Gretta Luxe in Wellesley, MA or continue your escapade through cyberspace and find them in the bar below. XX - A
09.25.17
One of the most-hyped rumors of last spring came to fruition a few weeks ago when Nike and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, hosted a three-day event in NYC to exhibit and explain their much-awaited collaboration. Entitled, ‘TEN ICONS RECONSTRUCTED,’ the collection consists of ten different styles of sneakers and was split into two themes “REVEALING and “GHOSTING” to accommodate their release. The first five “REVEALING” styles (Air Jordan 1, Nike Blazer, Nike Air Presto, Air Max90, and Nike VaporMax) were made available for purchase during the three-day “Off Campus” event and as attendees, we were lucky enough to get our hands on two of the exclusive styles.
As genuine admirers of both Nike and Abloh, it was a pretty big effing deal to walk out of 23 Wall Street that day carrying two pairs of their brainchildren— but not just because the sneakers are so difficult to get. While ‘The Cop’ can be thrilling and inflating, what meant more than just possessing something so desirable was understanding its context. After having attended the various panels and discussions the couple days before, after having learned the intentions, effort and thought put into every detail of the collaboration, the designs and the release of the sneakers meant so much more than their material worth.
On the first day of “Off Campus,” Abloh and Nike’s VP of Footwear Design, Andy Caine, sat down with journalist Phoebe Lovatt to discuss the inspiration for and conception of the project. During the talk, Abloh cited a particular meeting with Nike in which he took an X-ACTO knife to some sneakers as a reference point that would ultimately drive and help define the collaboration. Abloh explained the reason he wanted to chop up the sneakers was so that he could reveal what the shoes were made of, a tradition an arguably ‘good’ design aims to hide.
It was with that sort of rebellion and exposure in mind that we decided to style our two pairs of The Ten. Because business wear isn’t supposed to be worn with sneakers, we wore it. Because a suit isn’t supposed to be worn apart, we split one up. Because we’re not supposed to reveal what’s underneath it, we exposed our respective sports bras and compression shorts. Keep in mind this was also shot in the Government Center of Boston, where many suit-clad men and women stopped to stare. Enjoy the photos above and refer to the bar below to shop similar items.
All photos by: Drew Ciggna | @a_ciggs
04.19.17
Described as overlay track pants, these sweats were made for anything but running. In fact, some would argue they were made for skating since Palace is technically first and foremost a skate brand above all else. Or at least it was, before some style-minded heavy hitters adopted it for fashion, much like they did with its oft-compared American counterpart Supreme. And while most “legit” skateboarders are cringing at the new re-appropriation of their beloved subculture, Lev Tanju, the creator of Palace, welcomes the broader interest in it. If Supreme is anti-corporation, Palace is anti-everything in the best way, meaning I immediately wanted to support it. Plus, nothing beats online item descriptions that read something like: “ I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE GO FOR A FANCY DIN DIN AND TAKE A PHOTO OF THE PLACE HOLDERS TO SHOW THE INTERNET ALL THE WANKERS THEY SAT NEXT TOO.”
If you're reading this your eyes are open. And if your eyes are open you can see that I paired the sweats with a small black bra, a mesh bodysuit by Danielle Guizio, Air Force One Lows, and matching Palace socks. Shop a similar look below. - A