Initial reaction:
In a move that was refreshingly unlike other high-profile alternative presentations this week – a star-studded play, a high tech water-and-laser-light-show – cult brand Gypsy Sport surprised the audience and made the show feel like a discovery without a crazy production. In fact, their route might have been illegal: they staged a guerrilla fashion show in Washington Square Park, using park performers to introduce the show. Outside was the perfect place to see the clothes – for one, it's a streetwear brand, and for two, soft tunics and basketball shorts with high slits were able to waft in the wind. Plus, it was sunny, and if there's anything a Gypsy Sport fan knows it's this: brand can make a hat.
Stop, look and watch:
Contortionist-dancers performed before and during the show, and their call-and-response game ("On the count of three I want you to go CRA-ZY. I don't care what you do, smack the person next to you!") loosened up the cool kid crowd. Though one show-goer hilariously muttered "I'm not in a day camp situation," most were willing to play along, raising their hands and clapping, all awhile looking to the arch waiting for models to emerge.
Cultural clout:
"I tried to take a little bit of every culture in New York," designer Rio Uribe said. The collection used colours pulled from the New York metro cards and subway maps. "I wanted that 'where are you from?' ambiguous ethnicity feeling."
