Even if they wanted to, Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne could not have repeated today the public show format they used for their menswear collection less than two weeks ago. The Mayor yesterday issued a Code Blue warning, not that the freezing temperatures and icy wind would have discouraged Public School’s fan base from getting a first look at the latest wares from these two. Chow and Osborne have a knack for reflecting what New Yorkers (a loose term) are wearing now and elevating it to something you’ll still want in a few months time – not an easy task. Today it was all about surviving the elements and maybe, the city itself too.
Jolts of fuchsia over red and burgundy and silvery laminated black layers disrupted the otherwise black-focused collection. Public School is all about layering but a tee over a zip-up pullover with a skirt over a pair of trousers might be too much even for them. The way they mix tailored suiting with sportswear however, like a nylon anorak with wool trousers tucked into biker boots with a big fuzzy coat on top, or a merino turtleneck over a fringe top and army green cargo trousers, has an effortlessness about it that must infuriate a lot of other designers who need marketing committees for the job. Buckles and pins adorned everything from the back of a simple black t-shirt dress to the seams of a big skirt and those beanies. If all-black layered looks don’t exactly shine on the runway rest assured that when they hit the stores they will do, like a distressed knitted coat with the texture of a peeling wallpaper.