Walk around the New York City streets as the weather warms up and one thing becomes abundantly clear: the quiet luxury trend that we’ve been hearing so much about (including from this website) is mostly, if not completely, a virtual phenomenon. Maybe it’s because the Uber-rich don’t use the streets for walking—they have chauffeured Mercedes Maybachs for that, according to Succession, at least—but the vibe of summer 2023 is shaping up to be quite loud.
Alexander Wang is on that wavelength. His pre-fall lineup landing in stores now follows the same sexy from-the-boudoir-to-the-club lines as the “Cupid’s Door” show he put on back in February on the eve of New York Fashion Week. Anyone who saw that collection will recognize these pieces. Lace-edged slip dresses, cotton poplin boxer briefs worn as shorts, and thong underwear arching over hipbones above slouched-on jeans appear in both places. Making its debut here is an extensive new range of accessories that he’s calling Dome. Is it just us or does the matte metal hardware look like it was modeled after a self pleasure sex toy?
When the occasion calls for a more covered-up look, Wang has useful tweaked shirting with built-in smocking or wrapped details, as well as streamlined, slightly boxy tailoring on offer. He also gets that athleisure isn’t so much a trend for the young people he’s targeting as it is a way of life, hence the souped-up workout wear. His point of differentiation in this category is that he’s taken cues not from yoga and Pilates gear, which is another omnipresent sight on the NYC streets (a bit tired of all that), but the more oversized proportions of boxing and basketball.