Review of Luis de Javier Fall 2023 Fashion Show
Clubs, Eroticism and Queer Culture Power The Brand
By Constance C.R. White
From the first look to the last, Luis de Javier proved himself different. The 26-year-old Spaniard by way of England, unfurled his highly anticipated show for the first time in America – and only the second time anywhere if you count a small outing at Selfridges. He did not disappoint. It was subversive, evocative, innovative and memorable.
Done almost entirely in latex, the collection featured a pale gray latex gown with a plunging neckline and train; a layered cognac jacket dress with gigantic shoulders that flowed into panels down to the floor. A roomy black leather jacket with the exaggerated tailored shoulders which are his signature.
The 26-year old is already sparking comparisons to Alexander McQueen and Gareth Pugh
Bodysuits and peekaboo dresses mimicked bondage bras. De Javier spent several minutes backstage lacing a male model into a black corset. And a strapless denim corset dress with denim horns was worn by Julia Fox.
Though the Lower East Side is a far less gritty place than it was almost 25 years ago when another Brit export Alexander McQueen took New York by storm, the setting McQueen chose for his show, a church on Norfolk Street, was entirely appropriate for de Javier, who showed in the same place. His style is rooted in downtown club kids, eroticism and queerness.
Models’ faces were painted with sheer metallic glaze, their hair slicked back.They vamped it up, stared seductively at the photographers, and back-bent their way down the runway to the heavy bass beat of Anti ups’ “Concentrate”.
Accessories included dominatrix boots and shoes with studs or spikes and what de Javier named the unisex “bitch bag” which was tucked under the armpit or carried on the shoulder. Spikes as embellishment were easy to find on shoes, bags, clothing and fetish-style headgear.
De Javier’s work has drawn comparisons to McQueen and Gareth Pugh, another Brit designer. And he said he was a bit “shy about doing latex at first” for fear his work would be compared to what came before.. He need not worry. It hasn’t been done like this. The comparisons to McQueen will not diminish de Javier, anymore than when there were comparisons of McQueen to Vivienne Westwood. Like McQueen then, de Javier brings his own brand of audacity and sense of showmanship.
Uber stylist Patti Wilson, now a CFDA Award winner, but long before this acknowledgement, one of the industry’s most influential stylists, styled his show. His designs have already been worn by Beyonce and Cardi B..Wilson was searching for a coat for Grimes for a magazine shoot when she saw images of his fake fur designs.
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She declined to use them, she said, because she thought it was real and Grimes would not wear real fur. Wilson, who was backstage nursing a foot injury she sustained yesterday morning, said she agreed to do the show because “he is so good.”
She and photographer Steven Klein encouraged de Javier to show his collection, he said, after he worked with them on a project. He was ready to present the line, after quitting his job to launch his business, then COVID hit.
De Javier’s was one of two highly anticipated new shows this season, the other being Heron Preston’s, They were as different as night and day. But they proved New York is still a Mecca for those in search of fashion fame and success. “I can’t believe I’m here,” said de Javier after the show. “I can’t believe I’m in New York and living this American dream, apparently.”