|
To sneak
a peek at
Imitation of Christ's new look, click on "New York Spring
2001 Collections" at www.hintmag
.com.
.
|
|
It could only happen in the baffling world of fashion. Cheapo,
thrift-store duds reworked by rebellious designers are elevated
to high-fashion status, with price tags to match. The first
season they're shown, these customized couture clothes fly
off the shelves in a few select boutiques around the country
and garner rave reviews in the latest fashion rags. It may
sound blasphemous to Joe Shopper, but this season fashion
whores with fat wallets are worshiping at the altar of a witty
line called Imitation of Christ.
West Coast-based designers Tara Subkoff (an aspiring actress
who was in this summer's fashionable The Cell) and
Matt Damhave (a former art school student) introduced their
subversive Imitation of Christ line earlier this year. The
collection features chopped, tattered, torn-apart thrift-store
creations reconstructed into men's and women's skirts, suits,
blouses, gowns and T-shirts.
Many of their unique items come emblazoned with bold messages
reminiscent of DIY, '80s street fashion à la
Malcolm McLaren. A cheeky Yves Saint Laurent shirt demands,
"Bring us the head of [Gucci designer] Tom Ford." Cementing
IOC's status as a hipster line and lending it indie cred
is this year's style icon/ muse Chloë "Boys Don't
Cry" Sevigny. A friend of the designers (as well as
the line's creative director), this hot property has religiously
modeled IOC outfits in shows and magazines.
How Subkoff and Damhave chose the moniker for their line,
which also happens to be the name of a 15th-century work
that's become one of the most widely read spritual books
after the Bible, is anybody's guess. Perhaps they consider
their holier-than-thou creations works of spiritual devotion.
Or maybe it has something to do with resurrecting clothes
that have already lived and died, so to speak. One thing
that is clear is the overwhelming success of their concept.
Just ask Gregg Zgonena, sales assistant and merchandiser
at Ultimo, a Chicago boutique specializing in designer lines
and currently carrying items from IOC. Zgonena says the
store has sold out of nearly every piece brought in over
the last few months. T-shirts go for $300 a pop, skirts
will set you back $600-$900, and for $2,100 you can take
home what is essentially a recycled evening gown. While
the majority of IOC buyers are youthful, Zgonena says he
has sold at least one piece to an elegant, more "mature"
customer.
So what's the appeal? For one, IOC pieces stand out next
to the work of such iconic designers as Yohji Yamamoto,
Dolce & Gabbana, Celine and Chloe (the lines, not the
celebs) at Ultimo because of their uniqueness, Zgonena says.
But there's something else that sets them apart, he tells
me: "The stories behind the clothes add to the appeal."
To those who regularly don recycled wear, this notion is
not particularly novel. But for high-fashion devotees who
typically wear new clothes with no past and even less personality,
I suppose it's quaint. The concept could be considered the
ultimate in vintage inspiration; designers have been drawing
on vintage apparel more and more, and IOC just takes the
idea to its unabashed extreme.
The latest incarnations of that idea turned up at the recent
New York Spring 2001 IOC show, which took place in a funeral
parlor. Unlike the ripped and ragged garb the designers
have been praised for thus far, conservative and gloomy
styles dominated the Spring 2001 collection. Models-as-mourners
approached a casket in fitted, arty silk dresses, suits
and lace. (No word on God's reaction.)
Why the about-face? Maybe Subkoff and Damhave are just
trying to keep us guessing, defying convention, flashing
a big one-finger salute to the uniformity and predictability
of contemporary fashion. They do seem dedicated to creating
ensembles they consider beautiful from unwanted clothes,
whether they be obnoxious T-shirts from Goodwill or understated
suits from the corner retro shop.
But maybe, just maybe, the joke is on fashion victims who
absolutely must get their hands on The Latest Thing,
no matter what the style or cost. If so, Subkoff and Damhave
are surely laughing all the way to the bank.
|
