This 19-year old Chinese luxury brand is beginning to make its mark outside of its traditional Asian market. Blanc de Chine’s Spring/Summer 2013 line-up of men’s wear shown during their runway show at their 5th Avenue flagship store demonstrates their juxtaposition between the Ancient Eastern world and the relatively new world of the West.
This fusion of Eastern and Western design aesthetics, would seem difficult to accomplish, but Blanc de Chine Spring/Summer 2013 menswear collection was definitely a fusion of the soft fabrics of the East with the more buttoned-up structure of the West. One of the main design elements for the collection shown at NYFW was functionality. Keeping this element in mind, the designers took inspiration from one of the worldwide trends — Global Warming. All of the pieces in the men’s collection were loose and relaxed — soft cottons, silk and poly blends. To cap off this focus on rising temperatures, a short-sleeve version of their popular Chinese tuxedo was introduced at the runway show. Not necessarily a headliner for next spring’s galas, but it was an interesting structured look that is perfect for a particular man for a specific event. Unfortunately, there were a few pieces in the collection that were too reminiscent of staff uniforms seen at high-end resort hotels in tropical climates. Fortunately, it was only a few items in the collection that struck this chord.
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-Kevin Feather
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