Last Friday’s Adam Arnold Spring Fashion Show was in many ways a
return to form. A crowd of affable clients, friends, and admirers
gathered in the new salon space occupied by the as-yet-not-renamed
Burnside Proper at the east end of the Morrison Bridge. After several
seasons of presenting collections on the west side (not counting fall’s
open house), being back on the east side felt right, like a
homecoming.
Likewise, the collection revisited some of Arnold’s past work, made
new again with novel fabrics and the occasional small adjustment. This
is how Arnold’s clothing works—always a growing body of work,
with little or nothing ever thrown out permanently at season’s end.
Ideas were present that have been threading their way through his
collections for years, such as a honeycomb/geodesic technique he first
experimented with in 2007’s Seaplane-produced Little White Dress show,
and which he says he’s simply “not done with.”
Arnold is known for long, imaginative lists detailing his
inspirations for each body of work, and this installment can be boiled
down to what he calls “Dutch,” a catchall association born out of the
obscure, dark European krautrock he listened to while designing (nearly
crashing his computer with gleefully prolific album downloads), as much
as the increasingly sharp take on affluent
eccentricity—particularly manifested in the menswear—his
recent collections have nailed. I want to call it “rich hippie,” but
there’s nothing throwback about it, and it’s more princely than earthy.
Psychedelic, yes. But modern, and formal at heart. (Or as a portion of
the program put it, “Dutch Touch, Dutch Bunch, Dutch Crunch, Dutch
Hutch”.)
Most of Arnold’s glee was felt in his designs for men, where spring
pieces were demarcated as such by virtue of, say, the cheerful
tulip-print lining on a denim suit(!) and lighter weight fabrics. The
shapes themselves, though—long sleeved collared shirts, vests,
high waisted pants—are easily as appropriate for fall. A large
weekend bag in handsome leather, canvas hats, and shirts with
reversible collars were surprises, some of which were inspired by a
new, mysterious menswear muse who Arnold declines to identify.
For the women’s collection, Arnold says he was more inspired by the
fabric (the aqua paisley used on a single dress stands out in
particular). In general, the pieces—not a pant or short among
them—impressed by quiet complexity in their tailoring; a black
twill arrow-pleated piece is an instant favorite, and a sweater vest
cut like a maillot bathing suit is loaded with curious possibility. The
reversible effect was seen here, too, in a silk tulip-print dress whose
sash belt and collar reversed to reveal an improbably great contrast
with a navy and white star pattern.
Arnold’s clothing is perhaps best viewed in, and on, the community
that supports him. At his shows, the crowd is often dressed in pieces
directly from, or customizations based upon, the shows of years past,
collectively telling his design history under one roof. This season’s
new pieces will undoubtedly be welcomed into the fold.
See more of Adam Arnold’s past work at adam-arnold.com, or—even
better—make an appointment to visit the Adam Arnold studio at 727
SE Morrison, 234-1376.