As The FADER's style assistant Liz Raiss pointed out this morning, Hood By Air's Fall 2015 show included a surprising number of looks that fans of the brand might actually wear. The same could be said for Telfar Clemens' presentation on Sunday afternoon at Artist's Space, where the famously snuggie-friendly designer sent models down the runway in some of the most elegantly stripped-down (or, in Telfar-speak, "simplex") looks we've seen from him thus far. The event doubled as the downtown designer's 10th anniversary retrospective, and aside from the odd, cartoonishly large turtle neck or torso-revealing crop, the collection mostly reveled in the finer points of craftsmanship, rife with the sort of functional design details that you have to look up close to really notice: pockets that double as a belt loops or pant cuffs; a tiny, sliver shaped cut-out on a knee.
Corduroy, denim, and buttery brown leather contributed to a rugged, outdoorsy feel, offering just the right combination of insulation and breathability to confront any weather variety imaginable. In fact, if the sound installation Gang Gang Dance's Lizzi Bougatsos contributed to the event is any indication—she captured the models' footsteps via mics on the floor, then processed them into what sounded like round upon round of deafening gunfire—these ultra-basic looks seemed destined for use by some avant-garde, gender-ambiguous incarnation of the American cowboy. There were certainly a couple pairs of pants that looked like horse-riding chaps, and enough pockets all around to house any concealed weapon one could possibly fantasize about carrying. The message here being just as unambiguous as Telfar's increasingly masterful design chops: "Don't mess."
All photos courtesy of Telfar.
