Fashion Feature: Parkchoonmoo

Image: S.Whittle for Style WyldeIn Fashion there is always an exception to every trend. Where primary colors rule, there is always someone doing neutrals, and when optimistic, girly, collections are the norm, there is is at least one designer creating from a darker, more distopian point of view.  For these rule-breakers immediate attention for their work is often lacking, with fashion week editor-eyes  firmly planted on major trends the off the beaten path collections tend to go overlooked.

Image: S. Whittle for Style WyldeAt least that is one of  the excuses, I am using when it comes to the  Parkchoonmoo Fall 2011 collection and my immediate lack of reaction to what just might have been the most creative offerings of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Fall 2011.  

image:S.Whittle for Style WyldeHere are my other excuses: It was late in the week, and I had barely slept since arriving in New York 6 days prior.  I had attended three other collections that same morning one of which served guests champagne which only added to my fuzzy-headedness. And finally, there were some serious organizational glitches with the handling of seating at Parkchoonmoo, which led to further delays and standing around on the sidewalk outside in 5-inch heels for close to an hour which only served to increase my overall exhaustion and apathy.

Sitting in that gallery space, watching the voluminous, heavily padded coats and dresses come down the runway, I admittedly didn't "get" Parkchoonmoo . It felt like the designer was trying too hard and I couldn't picture the woman who would wear these pieces.

image: S.Whittle for Style WyldeBut the collection has haunted me for months. Since February, I have looked at the Parkchoonmoo images shot by Style Wylde photographer Simon thousands of times. Something kept pulling me back to them, and the more I studied them, the more I became aware of my own idiocy in overlooking the creative construction, thoughtful design, and overall beauty of many of the pieces.

 image: S. Whittle for Style Wylde

There were definitely challenges in the collection, pieces that still give me pause as to how or who would wear them, but every great designer in the world has pushed the boundaries of what the industry considers stylish and flattering. Designers like Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens, and even to some extent Marc Jacobs have proved that fact nearly every season with collections that mystify the audience at first unveiling and then influence the industry for years to come. 

Upon reflection, this is what I foresee for Parkchoonmoo, widespread influence across the industry as a a whole  beyond her native Korea where she has already become a design star. And next season, you better believe I for one will be paying close attention.