For Fall/Winter 2013, Rick Owens took a graceful detour to the Far East, which translated into oversized Kimono sleeves and Japanese hand tied knots which he used as embellishments on coats and sleek outerwear. Owens seemed to work more feminine layers into this collection than is his usual tendency, adding layers of fabrics like silk, taffeta, and satin.
Don’t let the distressed leather and oversized Japanese knots on the black on white centric palette fool you; Rick Owens is not a one-note designer. On the contrary, Owens is an avant-garde designer with a knack for finding beauty in the most unlikely places. To be sure, Owens showed some of the most appealing and beautifully crafted pieces he has ever created like a pristine white structured coat with horizontal hand woven cord details layered over a short black tunic dress, and worn with sleek black knee-high boots. Another long asymmetrical dress worn with leather gloves resulted in an effortlessly cool ensemble. His iconic coats got a fresh make over this season with oversized kimonos sleeves and his boots feature a stiletto heel instead of a chunky heel.
The highlight of the collection was the superb hand-tied Japanese knotting technique which appeared as an embellishment on the collection’s outerwear or at times knotted as woven leather cord inserts into the midsections of cocoon-like jackets. It was exciting to see Rick Owens’ industrial toughness mixed with handcrafted artisan elements. Rick Owens’ fans are infamous for buying his clothes with a cult-like eagerness, and this season they are sure to find some truly unique pieces to add to their Rick Owens treasure-box.
