design: Adam Arnold. photo: Jaycob Desrosiers
Much of the conversation about Adam Arnold’s work can come down to scrupulous construction. Sometimes I think there are few who can fully comprehend these accomplishments, those who just say, oo that’s cute, but I had the privilege at Arnold’s spring presentation Friday night, to sit in close proximity to the peanut gallery, headed up by my favorite apparel geek, Sue Bonde, head of the apparel program at the Art Institute. She and company justifiably ooo’ed and ah’d over Arnold’s wicked feats like faux cap sleeves hinted at by a series of straps, aerodynamic colorblocked insets, crisp piping, double-darted cap sleeves, and something crazy going on with welt pockets on a double-face cotton reversible checked jacket. There were a number of wow-how-did-he-do-that moments. But something like the precise piecing that went into his Rubik’s cube pullover, essentially the crisp-est triangle patchwork you’ve ever laid eyes on, might just read as pattern and not holy!-shit!-construction to many viewers. His dedicated follow-through, with a killer yellow lining on a red skirt, say, that no one but the wearer will ever know about, is hard-core in the best way.
designer Adam Arnold described this dress: “It’s Liquid Sky, a European vacation, it’s shopping in Milan in 1985.” photo: Jaycob Desrosiers
It is easy to come away so dazzled by technique that you forget to consider the ideas Arnold presents in the collection. And he doesn’t help much because he presents so many ideas in pieces that will carry you from a Wednesday afternoon meeting to a Friday dinner, and a Saturday cocktail party that lasts until 2 AM. Themes? The Eighties come up for boys in neon yellow and polka dot jacket linings, in Kid n’ Play pants (!?!), an orange tile print pullover, flourescent mesh top, and yellow overalls (sunshine-y Dexy’s Midnight Runners?). For women, his KILLER slim-cut trousers in teal colorblocked with an ivory diagonal were just off the charts, and very New Wave-y (but in a non-obvious colorway). And his one cocktail dress, made in response to client demand, would have been perfect at Molly Ringwald’s prom, fitted black lace drop-waist with neon-piping and this insane collar that could be worn pulled up high around the head or pulled down over the shoulders. But Arnold loves the avant-gardists of the 60’s as shown in his superfuture white/red Courrege-on-holiday tent dress with snap-on hood. Yum. Exuberant color and graphic urgency, exemplified by his stripey ski sweater (cut-up and put back angularly together) or his cotton men’s shirt in a pattern he called, “the ugliest thing ever,” was a common thread.
design: Adam Arnold. photo: Jaycob Desrosiers
design: Adam Arnold. photo: Jaycob Desrosiers
design: Adam Arnold. photo: Jaycob Desrosiers
And the 80’s were merely one throughline. If there’s one thing Arnold implicitly understands it’s that his clients are building a wardrobe. The gentleman needs both a suit (slim black chalk stripe three button double vent) and a more sophisticated track jacket, dress shirts and jeans. The lady needs blouses for work that she’ll wear with a show-stoppingly red skirt for fun (or a sleek grey pleated skirt) as well as a “god’s-eye” stripey jersey dress she’ll wear to First Friday openings with Frye boots. And Arnold’s approach is just right for wardrobe-building: it feels both contemporary and timeless (which is to say, without a built-in expiration date), and that’s no easy feat.
design: Adam Arnold. photo: Jaycob Desrosiers
One admirable thing about Arnold is that he gives himself the time to work through ideas, rather than, say like Marc Jacobs, spastically pitching back and forth from season to season. Arnold is still dealing with geometric patchwork, and his lines for men are still slim and straight. What’s new is that his hemlines for women have risen considerably. He mentioned that his instructors at FIT were always criticizing him for covering everybody up from head to toe. No more. Arnold’s gals now bare their knees.
I love the new “presentation” model that Arnold has embraced. It’s just right for Portland. A little bit fashion show, and a little bit show n’ tell, his models, both professional and charmingly un- stood by as Arnold chatted informally with the audience about the garment and more: “Anyone who knows me knows I love wool,” Arnold said, “and I think it can be worn year-round.” He eschews show for thoughtfulness, perfect for building the kinds of ongoing client relationships that have made Arnold.
Arnold said that the word of the day (on Dictionary.com or something) was “ostentation.” But we didn’t see an auspicious alignment of this collection with that word. Exuberant, yes, but ostentatious, no. Arnold is the master of the understated statement, nothing is gratuitous, nothing is overly showy. You’ll think I’ve hit my head, because yes, I’m talking about (among other things) a pair of yellow overalls and an awning-striped dress, but some magical way (and yes his meticulous construction has a lot to do with it) he reigns it all in to make it all make a whole lot of sense in a way that is anything but ostentatious.
– Lisa Radon
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