Mr. and Mrs. Big. They’re a couple swallowed alive by their handmade knits, whether they be long, fat and fringed scarves wrapped multiple times around the neck, duvet shawls and cardigans big enough to hide a family of four or flower-printed puffers so voluminous they could double as bed covers. Blame it on Demna Gvasalia and his fellow creators who ushered in a new era of proportion with the Vetements collections. There seems to be no turning back, at least for the moment.
Inspired by a laid-back weekend and the comforts of home, this collection — which is also designed by a collective — was full of cocooning pieces, such as big flower-printed hooded puffers (artwork courtesy of Matthew Chambers); oversized belted bathrobe coats, one in striped wool, the other in copper with white piping, and a floor-length camel coat with giant sleeves.
Knits were more suited to men — and women — of Shrek’s size and girth, as in the pullover with dangling sleeves and a digital flower pattern that opened the show, and a belted bathrobe sweater with sleeves that nearly grazed the floor. Trousers would have suited Shrek, too, liquid and floppy in the dark gold of a Seventies Cadillac or made from yard upon yard of dark corduroy.
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Some Pop Art-y images flickered through this collection, in the form of Coca-Cola logo-style writing on a red and white sweater (the repeating message read “Never Mind”) as well as padded bombers and silk shirts showing Coca-Cola cans, ashtrays and cigarette packs from a 1992 still life painted by the artist Dike Blair.
It’s unclear how many of these pieces anyone needs — or even has room for — in his or her closet. Home may be sweet, but with rooms full of pieces like these, Mr. and Mrs. Big may find it difficult to get out the front door.