Alyx. Spring 2020 - Paris Fashion Week

 Images from the designer and the public domain. Credited to the photographer/company where applicable:Gorunway.com )

It is encouraging to see tailoring return to the runways or at least an acknowledged respect to couture, that in a lot ways, has lost its purpose.  Amidst the last twenty years of fashion in hyper-drive, with avant garde and the variants of styles swamping the runways. It's entail was in some ways reflected as a very crowded industry, to which a lot brands and magazines have bitten the dust in its wake.  If fashion is slowing down, regardless of sentiment and ideology, it would be dictated by purely economic terms.  That high fashion is almost solely dependent on China's grand plan to maintain its hyper-consumption economy of Western products.  But it appears the current fashion brands are not lying in wait for Chinese buyers, so a more crafted (and slower) appeal maybe shining through, which is a relief and a challenge for the many young designers such as the American designer Mathew Williams of his brand Alyx, who has moved across, very slightly, from urban avant garde looks to the more modernist tailored styles, that the current runways are now trending for 2020.

The challenge is to maintain an output of styles, while limiting their collections.  Some designers may opt for set pieces of several styled looks, whilst increasing the production, or a limited collection of variations for their seasonal designs.  Sourcing recyclable and dead stock material is fine, yet, there is now a rush on to acquire offcuts, this may cause prices to rise, hence the backlog of new materials from mills awaiting buyers – and their prices may come down.  All market speak and possibilities of the next trend in fashion development, but this just makes things more interesting.  

Williams for Spring 2020 has set upon Paris Fashion week with a massive collection, 64 in total, starting with the blazer and suit styles, that were the follow on trend from 2016 to date, completing the raiment with his urban, mountaineering street looks.  Mostly synthetics and wool blends, leather pieces, sculptured with precision.  Williams has ensured that the sleekness remains intake for such a massive presentation for Alyx's Spring 2020 collection – almost like a show piece representing his skill set.  There is, as mentioned, the modernist cues are evident, with defined cuts, removing some of the more draped styles of Alyx's previous showings.  

The color palette doesn't drift from the achromatic, browns, grays, pink, blue and mauve. Keeping it simple and characterized for such a large collection.