Approaching fashion as theater can lead to indelible memories ranging from flamboyant and Dionysian (as with the Kubla Khan "Pleasure Dome" Galliano recreated for his Fall 2008 show in Paris) to cleverly subversive (as with Imitation of Christ's Spring 2001 RTW show, held in an East Village funeral parlor) and eerily captivating (as with this season's conceptual string instrument-inspired threeASFOUR presentation). Unfortunately, the Adrian Alicea Haute Couture show, held on February 17th at the National Black Theater in Manhattan, was a better example of fashion as circus than it was evidence of fashion as performance art.
Half of New York-based indie label Nico and Adrian, Nuyorican designer Alicea branched out on his own for Fall 2011, debuting a collection billed as "couture" and incorporating pieces for women, men, and even children. Unfortunately, while many of the garments showcased possessed the undiluted bravado of Nico and Adrian's best pieces, they lacked in grace, finesse, and pure craftsmanship. Starchy denim befitting Dickies work pants was used to craft Hoochieville-ready, ill-fitting, pleated mini skirts that revealed more booty than a Beyoncé video, not to mention dated bustiers, skirts with inexplicably bizarre bustiers, odd neck accessories, and cropped jackets, many adorned with ruffled tartan prints or clunky white zippers. Plaid and tartan prints abounded in the womenswear, but the choice of fabrics and the unfortunate silhouettes rendered every piece so unrefined that even a Forever 21 buyer would shudder at their sight. Heck, Britney Spears' schoolgirl uniform in the "Oops! I Did It Again" video is a better example of couture than these tart-worthy tartan pieces. Argyle sweater tops and dresses, gingham print dresses, velvet blouses paired with ruffled corsets and satin skirts, and striped jackets with faux fir trim all added to the collection's disjointedness. Even brown paisleys and gold-on-sage Damask prints popped up inexplicably, looking like failed attempts at grandeur (as with a pair of high-waisted pants paired with a long-sleeved ruffled blouses made of cheap-looking white organza).
Granted: designers draw influences from different eras, locations, musical styles, art periods, and literary characters. But there was no rhyme or reason to Alicea's hot mess of a hodgepodge. Just browsing through photos from the show, you're likely to think of everything from Braveheart (one male model even walked down the runway shirtless and in a kilt) to burlesque productions (lace fishnets, anyone?), Can-Can dancers, Big Love ensembles (one particularly shabby patchwork dress, shown at top, would've made those girls at the compound go wild), Coming to America (the awful wedding dress chosen for the show's big "finale" makes Shari Hadley's '80s bridal get-up look fashion-forward) and amateur drag shows in NYC's West Village. Add the Aboriginal-inspired face makeup and curly, sky-high, Marie Antoinette-esque coifs and the entire production turns into even more of a circus show — and not a Ringling Bros. production at that, but more of a Majic the Hip-Hop Magician and Tommy the Clown event.
Though the men's pieces were slightly more inventive, Alicea still failed to shine in this department, sending dowdy patchwork blazers and street mart-appropriate ponchos down the runway.
Where's Nico when you need him, right? Hopefully Alicea's next collection will rely less on gimmickry (the tragic makeup and hair looks should go into the vault forever!) and will instead focus on crafting a strong assortment of pieces tied together conceptually.
** Reporting, photos and video by Izzy Ruiz
*** Men's looks:
