United Bamboo, the perennial arbiters of downtown cool, never seem to lose the ability to produce lines that are both fresh and completely marketable to a certain set. This certain artfully draped and layered set was in attendance in droves at this morning’s F/W 2011-12 presentation at Studio 450. Designers Thuy Pham and Miho Aoki sent out a range of not-so-naughty English schoolgirl and tweedy horsewoman-inspired outfits set to a spacey Krautrock soundscape. This was definitely a smart collection, and not just because each look could blend in seamlessly on a chilly Oxford campus lawn.
Rendered in mixed wools with touches of shearling, plaids, crepes and knits was a thoroughly wearable and marketable collection. There is no doubt that discerning girls all over will be snapping up the black flat thigh high leather boots, oversized cable-knit sweater dresses and sensible wool shearling-trimmed “donkey” jackets. Duffle coats, cozy ribbed tights and platform loafers rounded out the feel. This O’er the Moors sensibility was continued in a series of looks comprised of a bow-tie blouse, cardigan jacket, jodhpur-esque trouser and plaid knit coats with contrasting plaid shirt dresses. At no point did the collection veer off into any irritating sexy bookworm territory. Overall Pham and Aoki stuck to their guns and delivered a beautiful and well-styled collection soon to be seen in an up-and-coming neighborhood near you. — Text by Stacy Iannacone. Video by Michael Scanlon.
