There were almost as many empty chairs as there were marabou feathers at this morning’s Huishan Zhang show. Even once the standing queue had been seated, then the PR team, it was way under capacity. It’s not difficult to develop a theory as to why so many invited and expected guests did not show up. To err on the side of caution during a global health scare is fair enough, but to no-show without letting the designer’s team know is to err on the side of rudeness.
But whatever. Even if served to a dwindled audience, Zhang’s classically trained recipe for (relatively) affordable couture-ish day-and eveningwear was delivered with typical deftness: a lot of oversize double shoulders; probably an overemphasis on sequins; some good-looking oversize Chanel-style coats that emitted a workwear vibe and would work well with jeans; an abundance of tulle-skirted and -sleeved, silk-bodied, single-color dresses; and a great many of the aforementioned feathers, each dyed at the tip.
A green sheath dress saw lace layered over tulle. One strong frock in an autumn heather russet wool was a reminder—after member of Parliament Tracey Brabin sparked both prudishness and prurience when she showed hers during a debate recently—of the power of a bared shoulder. A ruched Lurex bodysuit in black bared nothing while suggesting all, and you could discern from the fishnets that Zhang was looking to emanate a jolt of ooh la la. The result? Comme ci, comme ça.