Wow, what a show. It was one of those that people will talk about for quite some time. It’s tricky to describe why, you sort of had to be there. The techno, which came out of nowhere, pierced your ears to it almost hurt. Just when you’ve had enough, the room fills with smoke and steam. That itself was brilliant. But then Rick Owens unleashed his army of models and it became even better. The first handfuls of exits were all about the coat. Short sleeved and with a deep V-neck, they came in black, white and brown. Last season was all about tailoring, but for SS ’11 Owens moved his attention to this outerwear garment.
With some sort of nun inspired hat, the models looked like male nurses. When the coat-mania was over, we moved on to sleeveless and body tight leather gilets. They seemed architecturally structured with nipped in waist and slightly flared bottom halves. Another coat, this time in a monochrome and optical pattern, broke things up a bit before jackets with built in hoodies and models wearing wedges stormed the stage. The final moments were a mixture of excessive smoke, illegally loud music and a dozen models, all wearing black bottoms and white tops. Brilliant.
Dazed Digital: What was the idea behind this show and collection?
Rick Owens: I don’t know, I just wanted to invade everyone. I focused on getting the best possible fabrics for my tailoring and then just attacked them, ripping off the sleeves. I saw some Swedish furniture that made me think that I’ve done soft leather for so long that I should try to work with hard armour leather that’s a bit more architectural.
DD: You seemed focused on coats…
Rick Owens: I like tailoring but we needed the volume and drama of coats, especially with those boots. We have loads of blazers in the showroom, but I wanted the swagger of coats for the show!
DD: I thought of futuristic male nurses when I saw some of the models…
Rick Owens: I always like the idea of dedication, devotion and aspiration. I don’t have any of them, but there is something so poignant about people that throw it all away to focus, I admire that.
DD: What pieces will you be wearing?
Rick Owens: The black short sleeved coats!
