Is 1970s glam rock back, once again? Even when we’re ready to sign something off as pastiche, there goes Rick Owens and proves us wrong. With shoulder pads tall and Perspex-heeled platform boots high, the Owens tribute band gave us a performance to remember. Less focused on the dark side, and more about referencing stagewear of Slade’s 1970s tour (but sexed up with volume to the max) – the SS20 show was a pure delight.
The looks felt both focused and spare: a handful of ideas distilled and explored into detail. That’s the guttural thing for Owens and his atelier, which operates in a kind of cultural coalescence, by extracting ideas from disparate places. Metallic leather boiler suits were left to dangle, their crotched dropped to that right Rick Owens spot. He goes places most other designers don’t even dare to look. The longline, triangle silhouette was back – fabric puddle flares were joined by bare chests and razor-cut blazers. Tiny paillettes decorated a jacket while another had criss-cross strips sewn in. Decoration felt like something new – another *extra* layer to the strict and architectural shapes we already know and love. Even if you don’t know how to play an instrument, Rick Owens’ is a band you wanna be a part of. Or at least a groupie – front row, jumping up and down with euphoria. Oh, wait – that’s us.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
