Wed 19th August
Whenever we see something shiny, we think of shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather. There was no shiny leather at Calvin Klein Collection, though. Rather, there was vinyl – loose, almost-oversized tracksuit bottoms in black and grey vinyl. They had an almost 1990s aesthetic to them, a rapper aesthetic. But it didn’t feel nostalgic. It felt futuristic. There is something about the shine of the vinyl that evokes an image of a futuristic, dystopian society. Of Blade Runner. The constant rain. It looks wet. Tough. A toughness further underscored by functional nature of the upper layers: cropped bomber jackets, sharply tailored suiting, almost floor-length ponchos. The cuts paying homage to a traditional, gym-honed, masculine silhouette. The superhero ideal. There was a sheen to the non-vinyl layers, to the heavy cottons and wool tweeds. And the hair was slicked back and super glossy. It was almost as though the boys had travelled back in time, from a place in the distant future, and were walking the world incognito. To a point. As those who travel back in time to walk the earth incognito always look just a little too futuristic to truly blend in. But then, superheroes of the future aren’t supposed to blend in. They’re not supposed to be like you or me. They wouldn’t be superheroes if they were.
Photographer: Jason Lloyd-Evans
