New York- It’s been many years since Alexandre Plokhov disbanded his rigorously dark menswear line Cloak, but Spring 2013 finds him once again working the clean lines and smooth silhouettes he conjured up with enough skill to earn him a CFDA award back in 2005. Taking inspiration from a book of daguerreotypes of isolated Russian Orthodox monks, Plokhov separated his collection into coal, ash, and alabaster, with sharp suiting and elongated sportswear divided into looks of pure black, gray, and white respectively. The boys had their eyebrows dyed to match their clothes, and their hair packed down with colored clay to similar effect. There was a coarseness to the fabrics, one Plokhov explained was meant to reference the simplistic, rough-hewn lifestyle of those religious devotees, as did the uneven leather of the shoes. Pulling apart the collection, there was a refreshing number of malleable pieces, like Miles Langford’s opening sueded trench, that will translate well even when removed from the strict vision of the show.
Designer: Alexandre Plokhov
Casting by Barbara Pfister
Text: Jonathan Shia
Photos by Kirt Reynolds for models.com
