William Fan remains true to himself. He has long maintained the tradition of only sharing the address of his show the day before the actual event. Because, unlike other designers, these locations are unique, often a long drive away, and, the more familiar you are with the designer’s thinking, the more you get an initial feel for the collection. For this season, the venue was the warm-up hall of the Olympic stadium, and as usual we found out only a day ahead of time. Is William Fan swapping brocade for jersey? Maybe he’s actually changing direction?
Compared to recent years, it was definitely a major change in the design of his collection. Fan’s standby shirts, coats, and wide pants were represented in new materials, as they are every season, but never gained the upper hand. Instead, knitwear dominated the show and emphasized the laidback luxury of a lineup he called Off Duty. Knits, polos, and slouchy pants were used by Fan as a metaphor for leisure time. His move away from glamour made room for tunics and turtlenecks. Of course, there were also occasional evening elements and party looks, but the beaded bags, for instance, were so big that they would only ever be seen inside a trendy Berlin bar as a day-to-night look after work.
Probably the most beautiful tradition of Fan’s is the song he chooses for the show. It is almost always a forgotten tune, but one remains in the memory as an earworm after the show. This time it was “Born Slippy” by Underworld. Because after all, nobody wants to stop partying completely.
