HOSFELT GALLERY West 36th Street, NYC ---PRESS PREVIEW
Words/Images Judith Ecochard
An out of the way 2nd floor gallery in a desolate West 30’s area--- served up a very un-desolate presentation of the America’s iconic brand of denim…LEVI’S ®.
A two tiered stadium style staging jammed with guy and gal models--- gave the beer/bubbly swilling crowd a 'right there' view of complete outfits, inspired by the classic and actually, very fashion forward silhouettes of denim, cords pants, minis, jackets, tees and long sleeves…ready to hit store shelves in a bit.
The upshot? A decidedly 21st century, modern-day cool showcase of attire, bumped up with terrific styling…giving this iconic brand steeped in authentic heritage--- some buzz.
We think every cut out there- for denim- got decent play…including front seam distressed boyfriends, cropped shorts, barely boot leg flares, and on the guys to our eye, a slim fit that reminded us of how both guys and gals wore their pants in the 70’s…(see the flick Dazed and Confused for reference…like that …but without the massive bell bottoms and now with stretch--- so gals don’t need to lie down and zip up the skin tight jeans with pliers.)
LOOKS WE LOVED (Surprisingly).
As we were raking through the racks lining the white gallery space, we exclaimed to two guys plowing through likewise…that this was the first time we ever saw a drop crotched pants that we thought decent to look at versa a rehash of Hammer time. The rolled up ankles make it cute casual...
Turns out, one of the guy’s is the publicist for the menswear…who then proceeded to point out the details of the new collection…
Like the horseshoe theme back pocket,
Double stitched seams for durability.
Lived in washed fabrics for softness
Leather label and inside tags a reference to the original…jeans that is…with a real history, not one dreamed up by an advertising shop.
In case attendees missed the point…two rooms had blowups and boards of the striking black and white adverts…plus fabric swatches and hardware details in museum like, glass cases.
We wanted this cube seat cushion with a mannequin image…wonder what happened to it.
BOTTOM LINE:
We wish we could still fit into the original red tag Levi’s we inherited from our older sibs junior high days (yup, pre-middle school)…
But feel very confident that this hip looking Levi’s® collection… will get another generation’s attention…as well as keep those that wouldn’t think of wearing anything else.
ADDED PLUS: The MAKE UP FOREVER maquillage …led by Orlando. The models looked fresh…with eyes lined with the fade resistant, waterproof Aqua Eyes ($17)---a two in one eyeshadow/eye pencil now available at Sephora. A top color…the Majorelle Blue…is a metallic blue that’ll look good on every skin tone.
