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story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Stephen Bodi
Designer Wayne Lee very obviously knows her craft. The choices she displayed in concept, construction, and color for her Spring 2012 collection all worked together harmoniously, with very few exceptions. The most interesting thing about her work is the way that her design choices make it seem more minimalist than it is in actuality.
It was a deceptive collection overall, the seeming simplicity disappearing upon closer inspection. In fact there was a lot of fabric control techniques and detailing that was in evidence and yet somehow did not disturb the flow and feeling of cleanness. Angled cuts and a less severe asymmetry than is traditionally popular today helped achieve a feeling of softness and suppleness in the movement of the clothes which was another subtle strength of the collection.
The primary color was white which is perfectly suited for Mrs. Lee as a designer. There was, however, a sprinkle of an eye-catching blue and white print of twisted rope that also featured actual twisted fabric in the print as a clever detail. The printed pieces were evocative of the Japanese bondage art of Shabari which was yet another in a series of unexpected surprises from a very interesting collection.
It absolutely must be mentioned that the designer had given birth to her son mere days before the show and yet she looked just fine in her brief curtain call, an act of pressing on regardless, which was perhaps the biggest surprise of all.