ICB by Prabal Gurung is a Moonage Daydream
“I’ve always been interested in a femininity with a bite,” Prabal Gurung told Interview backstage at his ICB show last night. “I always think a little bit of a kick is great.”
Gurung’s sixth collection for ICB evinces a similar focus—the intersection of femininity and futurism—as the one that drove his ready-to-wear collection on Saturday. In his main collection, Gurung’s edge manifested in harnesses and raglan sleeves; in ICB, which aims to be accessible to younger, aspirational Gurung fans, it popped up in metallic platform heels and silver eyeshadow.
“It’s a youthful feel, which was inspired by the work of Dan Flavin, with the lights and music,” Gurung said. Flavin, the contemporary fluorescent light artist, designed the visual installation, consisting of swirling holographic primary colors, which greeted guests as they entered the darkened room at Eyebeam in Chelsea, while techno house music from The Prodigy set the mood. If it sounds a little trippy, that was intentional. “It was a little nod to a ’90s raver girl, but not so crazy,” Gurung told us.
Zoe Lister-Jones, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, and Gurung’s many downtown fans watched from the front row as he first sent white flared miniskirts and comfy white sweaters, paired with platform kicks, down the runway. Gradually, he added the same colors—kelly green, fuchsia, indigo—featured in Flavin’s visual backdrop. As the dresses grew even sleeker, so did the silver platform heels.
Gurung’s trancey vision last night had a practical foundation. “I wanted to create something that was easier to wear and travels well,” he explained. “Clothes where you don’t have to think too much about it.” Mission accomplished.
