Siki Im drew his inspiration for F/W2011 from the somber, earth-based spirituality he found in the pottery works of Native American artist Maria Martinez. Models walked with slow deliberation along a spiral dirt track on the white floor to the beat of a group of Hopi drummers clad in hand-woven knits made in collaboration with Navajo weavers TahNibaa and Sarah Naat’aanii. Siki Im’s greatest strengths, as he has demonstrated over his past few collections, are his impeccably tailored suiting with cheeky deconstruction, unexpected asymmetric detailing and statement outerwear. He stands far apart from the ongoing questionable trend of Native American appropriation, and even resonated beyond his own heavy-handed references.
Video by Elizabeth Perrin. Text by Meg Clark
The limited but rich palette of saturated navy, deep reddish-browns, and soft blacks — based on the colours of the sky just after sunset — drew attention to the rich textures of the natural fibers (including wool, cashmere, cotton, rabbit and felt) in each heavily layered look. Looks alternated between smart, geometric tailoring and a slouchy ease marked by a mix of undersized and oversized pieces — a fitted suit vest was paired with extreme drop-crotch pants in flowing silk, while a structured boxy blazer was worn over a soft, loose tunic.
Siki Im’s theme worked best at its most subtle moments, for instance, when black feathers were placed in exaggerated, sculptural hats calling to mind classic menswear. Another highlight were the oversized stud earrings and blue-and-red mohawks which visually paid homage to punk. But the stellar outerwear is what stole the show — a high funnel-neck coat with geometric detailing, a simplified robe-like belted trench, a bold grey overcoat with an asymmetric hem and an oversized bomber jacket with a subtle tonal chevron seemed simultaneously inspired and functional, classic and futuristic.
Tags: NYFW
