Interview

Among the eminent ladies in the front row at Alexander Wang, there was mini-blogger Tavi, the 14-year old Chicago-based critic, sat with her sister in the front row. Her first fashion week in New York, the well-spoken, grounded pre-teen told us she was "thrilled to be here" but "Cushnie et Ochs stole her heart."

When the drum corp music kicked off (the  soundtrack was by electro-dancehall duo Major Lazer), Wang's message was clear: critics be damned, he's going to have fun. Nimue, Jac and Edita looked like skinny, scantily clad quarterbacks, and this was Wang's homecoming. "He's making leather emblazoned sweatshirts," a reporter nearby asked. He was indeed, with football-style shoulders, netting, and even a letterman jacket. Freja wore leather baseball shorts with a lace-up, corset-style waist below a sports bra. Clutches were little pigskin footballs and long, tunic-length sweatshirts had sheer cut-outs. Rich materials like thick cotton or soft suede were added to the preppie mix, but there wasn't anything glamorous about this show. In fact, the show was decidedly 'anti-glamour,' and while some might complain that Wang has fallen too far into the Gap prep-chic, it's more possible he is rebelling against the "return to exquisite basics" that the rest of the industry has adopted to survive. (LEFT: LOOK 9)