Midway through Creatures of Comfort’s fall show, one wondered when the looks derived from a photo of Sixties-era Cher in a fringed halter and bell-bottoms, her hair curled like an upside-down triangle, that was atop Jade Lai’s mood board backstage would make an entrance. The Cher inspiration never quite materialized, although some fringe trims and silver fixings did appear as details on tailored, mannish gear. Some of it, especially the outfits paired with Western moto boots, made you think photos of Raf Simons’ first Calvin Klein collection might be tacked on a mood board somewhere nearby too.
Lai described the collection as “bookish, but at the same time there’s sort of a celebration of womanhood.” At this celebration women seem to express themselves by piling on all kinds of wacky, mismatched layers, such as rustic wool plaids, daffy polka dots, paperbag-waisted skirts, sequins, dorky dad sweaters and a headwrap to hammer home the essence of independence. There were good pieces to be pulled out, most of them men’s wear-derived, such as a stiff khaki shirt jacket.