The patriarch of American fashion, Tommy Hilfiger, took a rare step away from his beloved red, white and blue this season to present a more tropical and exotic interpretation of the all-American girl. The sunny shores of the Caribbean, and Jamaica in particular, could be felt in the green, yellow and red crochet trims and colourways, not to mention the crochet Rasta hats of which Bob Marley himself would have been proud.
Although one doesn’t look to Hilfiger for groundbreaking fashion, we did get the feeling that even he was pushing the boat out this season. With Jamaican style masculine string vests paired with African print skirts or wide leg cargo pants teamed with crochet bikini tops and silk Chinoise bomber jackets, this was the most divergent we’ve seen Hilfiger in years. As the unofficial outfitter to the American dream, it will be interesting to see how Hilfiger’s usual demographic integrates these wilder pieces into their wardrobes but anything that promotes cultural integration is a good thing in our books. Speaking of which, the casting in Hilfiger’s show was also a triumph of diversity and championed some of the most exciting up and coming models of colour around.
With this show Hilfiger proved that even at 64 he can still provide buckets of aspiration, fun and youthful frivolity, and in a world that is so terribly serious, such an attitude is always a welcome break.
by Nicola Kavanagh
Images courtesy of ImaxTree.com