The few things Bartlett did right were in the outerwear. Jackets with strong shoulders and zipper detail were ideal staples for a collection focused on structure. Trench coats with drop sleeves and multiple lapels in latex material makes one wish autumn had months like April, because these could be donned over practically any style during a rainy day. Texture and transformation were highlights among the outerwear, as most pieces were either hard or soft (sometimes both) and some pieces could be changed from long to short. At least for Bartlett, the price point for a jacket or coat will outweigh the price point for vivid orange leggings in last fall’s motorcycle utilitarian cut.
The finale woke the audience up with models stomping down the runway at a pace so rapid it was hard to actually see the detail undergarments said to be “pretty enough to wear in public”. With latex pleated body suits and chiffon tops that mimic medieval armor placed over nylon bras and rubber skirts, it’d be a challenge in itself to incorporate more than just an individual piece of the looks into one’s lingerie drawer.
Finally, Bartlett throws in a wool onesie and “sweater-kini” to make us really ponder the practicality and relationship of the different looks in her collection, I mean really, whomever hasn’t hand washed a sweater is the only likely candidate to take a dip in a wool swimsuit.
With the help of Orly Genger by Jaclyn Meyer’s necklaces (made to mimic umbilical cords), Brain Crumpley’s latex cuffs and LD Tuttle’s shoes and boots that pulled and tucked fabric over the arch of the foot, the VPL collection did imitate life itself by clearly representing an argument between constriction and freedom. This can be related most importantly in fashion to what is clearly right and what is very wrong, and how these forces can simultaneously create a unforgiving and baffling collection when paired together.
