Designer Wang Tao created quite the stir at her Fall/Winter 17 show for Taoray Wang this season, when Tiffany Trump and her mother Marla Maples appeared front row wearing the brand. The show itself began approximately 45 minutes late, as press, photographers, and gawkers crowded around the duo to get a closer look.
The collection, entitled “Crossover” was inspired by the juxtaposition of extremes; “classic v. feminine, East v. West, classic v. avant-garde”. With this in mind, one could expect something of a dramatic experience, with groundbreaking pattern making, fashion forward silhouettes, or a moving color palette. Instead, Tao showed suiting silhouettes in primarily black and grey, with an occasional fluorescent lining- cheapening the look. Juxtaposition was taken quite literally in this collection, as it does not require much cerebral thought to distinguish pink from black, and sheer from opaque.
There were a few outstanding pieces, as a chic pair of loose pants featuring a flared waistband were shown paired with a double breasted suit jacket tucked in. Throughout the collection, there were many amazing ideas that elaborated on further, would have made the impact much stronger. There was a reoccurring theme of half concealed belts, that gave the garments an interesting asymmetry, as well as jacket closers featuring eyelets and rope, that added a different dimension to a common silhouette.
