The Avant-Garde Heads to the Gym at Melitta Baumeister
The final slot on the NYFW calendar was reserved for a newcomer to New York Fashion Week, though not a newcomer to fashion: Melitta Baumeister, the German designer who’s known for extreme volume and epic proportions and has dressed Rihanna and Lady Gaga.
For her first-ever runway show, Baumeister struck a sporty note, but one that was far from the usual preppy or athleisure-influenced takes on the genre. She was inspired by movement and speed for this lineup, and pre-show, models with heavy weights and prowlers posed in the spare show space, while contemporary ballet dancers did eccentric choreography on the floors and window ledges. Paralympian sprinter Scout Bassett opened, and the athletic nods continued throughout the show, with jerseys that read “0,” surreal takes on baseball caps, shin guards, safety glasses, and a large, space blanket-like silver garment. Nike provided sneakers for some of the looks.
In a city where the fashion scene doesn’t always skew the most avant-garde, Baumeister was a welcome interloper: Her inventions this time around included exaggerated funnel necks, Jetsons-like tunics worn with bike shorts, and trompe l’oeil prints. (And on the beauty front, troll hair made another unexpected appearance.) The designer made it a point to show her clothes on a range of bodies, saying in her show notes: “You bring the body, we bring the shape.”
Finally, it wouldn’t be NYFW without a celebrity moment, and there was a pretty indelible one: rapper Offset closing the show in a massive leather jacket. Here’s hoping for more seasons of Baumeister at New York Fashion Week.
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