Nicholas K: NYFW S/S16

For their S/S16 collection at the opening of New York fashion week ready-to-wear collection, the brother and sister duo Nicholas K reiterate their self-proclaimed ‘nomad’ style to present a utilitarian style. Today, texture was shown to be a strong focus, whilst structure was not. His models were draped in layered shapes with largely neutral, flat shades of warm beiges and tans swathed with rope accessories – a nautical feel. The earlier part of his collection used super lightweight textiles like nylon to complement his super lightweight parachute inspirations, buckled down by rope that was effected consistently throughout.  Later on, shawls oozed into trench coats; hoods into ponchos. Lavish silk met suede bronze. The notion of elegance was worked into floor length leather-look dresses; distressed denim gathered flatteringly at the waist for other looks. Later on, the dip-dye hair hysteria of the naughties had been redrafted to mesh with this gathered layer style: draped fabrics synthesized with appearance of layers, as inky blacks washed suddenly into cool whites. 

Nicholas K used thick black outlines to make his pieces as if two-dimensional, juxtaposing this flatness with sweeping silhouettes. The collection was complemented by Casio G-Shock accessories: silver, copper and cobalt blue in robust metalwear, echoing the nautical theme. Wide police style sunglasses, deliberately over-framing faces, heightened that maritime flavour – and boy, did it quench the fashion-thirsty audience. Their (womens only) collection demonstrated the ever-evolving woman through masculine sub-genres associated with hardness and labour – hence the ropes and maritime, but without losing her femininity, as she blazed down the catwalk.