Wood Wood made silence a tool
At the quietest show of the season so far, we saw the first full collection from the new creative directors at Wood Wood, which balanced the delicate and the rough.This show review was translated from Danish to English by Graham Addinall.
LÆS DEN DANSKE UDGAVE HER
Wood Wood, Wednesday, January 30, 2024 at 15.00, Thorvaldsen Museum
In another review this week, I highlighted music as a powerful tool in a show. Now it turns out that omitting the music at a show is also a powerful, if slightly strange, move. Thus Wood Wood’s AW24 show got off to a somewhat confusing start as the first model entered the floor without the beat that tends to sharpen the crowd’s attention. The silence continued throughout the show, so that the only thing that could be heard were the steps of the models, the clicking of the cameras, a little whispering in the corners and the occasional suppressed laugh here and there. Because it was a bit comical with the absent music.
Whether the silence should signal that there is now calm on the backstage and behind the scenes after the turbulent year that Wood Wood has had, I don’t have to think about it, but at least let the clothes speak for themselves. And there were plenty of familiar Wood Wood references to this collection, which is the first from Nana Aganovic and Brooke Taylor, who both took on the roles of creative directors on 1 August 2023.
The tailored neoprene zip jacket is a good example of this. A good everyday piece with a sporty look that can be styled both in a neater office wear direction or in a more outdoorsy way, depending on taste and preference. Likewise with the leather miniskirt, which was edged with rough zippers on the sides. And the rough zipper came into its own again in a pair of super high-waisted, black trousers with a wide ribbed hem and the zipper as the centrepiece.
And so it was with most of the collection: it was a balance between the rough and the delicate, the classic and the sporty. It was also something that was also emphasised in the styling, where an ankle-length tank top dress in black jersey was put over a crisp, white shirt with large sleeves and a turned-up collar. And in the look with shiny, coarse leather trousers styled with pin-striped shirts. Three pieces of the same kind to be exact, styled in layers on top of each other – a trend we’re seeing more and more of this week.
Black was the dominant color along with all shades of brown, while a deep cobalt blue with white, embroidered stars, a yellow, almost gold, velour and a pink satin fabric each served as dividers for the show’s different sections.
As such, there weren’t any outstanding pieces, but it was a very well-worked collection. And with that, I will allow myself to question the opt-out of music. Because if it’s about letting the clothes – the art – speak for itself in Thorvaldsen’s beautiful premises, it might not have spoken quite loud enough, and I missed a bit of the art itself, some wow factor. But the collection formed a bond with the DNA from which Wood Wood originates, and in that way, it can seem as if the brand is once again landing on its own. And they were good clothes that could easily go out and live on the street.
See a selection of the show looks below and see the entire collection here.
