What is a menswear collection without a single pair of trousers? The elaborate answer to this simple question was on display at today’s Xander Zhou show. Literally. Instead of a traditional catwalk format, Zhou invited his show guests into an empty warehouse with a wall-sized, floor to ceiling LCD screen. As we walked in, each guest was given a wrap skirt, reminiscent of Southeast Asian temples most encounter on their year out. The sense of community and zen kicked in, as the digital screens showed a tropical scenario with calming music in the background. We were in for a ritual that made us all part of the Xander Zhou community.
“I hope people will find my collection mind-expanding and join me on a mental journey. As for pieces, I expect the bottom half will be most popular,” Zhou told us ahead of the show, giving only a teaser of what was to come. Now we know that by “popular,” the designer meant intriguing, as the show unravelled without a single pair of trousers. Low slung and high wasted, midi and maxi, pleated or pencil – it was skirts galore. Instead of models walking out of backstage, they were appearing on the large screen, perfectly in tune with Zhou’s tech-positive world. One skirt after another, the silhouette went from seeming odd to becoming totally normal, proving just how easy it is to adapt to anything that’s in front of us, as long as it’s aesthetically pleasing. Will all guys be wearing skirts by the time summer of 2020 hits? After seeing how chic it looks like thanks to Xander Zhou, the chances are higher than ever.
Photographs by Yituo
