MILAN–Edmund Ooi made his debut on the international stage with a collection that will forever be remembered for its array of male tube dresses.
Tired of the same old silhouettes, Ooi crossed sexual barriers with ribbed turtleneck above-the-knee numbers that only an unquestionably confident male could pull off.
“I was inspired by the 1800’s when men commonly wore dresses,” he told BACO backstage.
Geometric prints and shingles conjured images of Genghis Khan-era warriors, while deconstructed elements like dispersed pockets and collars demonstrated Ooi’s frustration with traditional sartorial lines.
Ooi explained at one point he began dismantling and reconstructing his collection, by shredding the finished pieces seam by seam, giving his geometric, urban looks a hint of rustic.
Alternative materials like neoprene and faux fur and leather were prominent in the collection. His fur trench, for example, felt like real beaver to the touch backstage.
After the paparazzi flashes sizzled away, Ooi’s mother embraced her son with tears in her eyes, reminding us what Armani’s “Next Generation” shows are all about.
Wearing a sweater emblazoned with “Grazie Armani,” Ooi sent his thanks to “The Godfather” of Italian fashion. By waving his wand and offering his show space, Armani gives a lot of emerging designers a big chance on the international stage.
–Sofia Celeste
