One of the joys of watching runway shows is that you never know what will hook your imagination. It’s sort of like looking through one of those View Masters from the 90s and getting lost in the slides, not knowing what’s next, and not caring either, because what’s most important is the image right in front of you. It’s just magic, when done right.
That feeling was my introduction to Bishme Cromartie on night 2 of LA Fashion Week, although you may know him from Season 17 of Project Runway. Since my entertainment comes mostly from Murder, She Wrote reruns and watching The Phantom of the Opera on repeat, I was woefully ignorant of Cromartie before I saw his Spring/Summer 2020 show at LA Fashion Week. But now, I’ve been made aware of a definitively American designer with a Versace-esque lens, and I’m sharing this awareness with you.
Unless you’re a Project Runway fan, in which case you’re ahead of the game.
Point of View
Good fashion has little to do with how “pretty” a garment is. Instead – and infinitely more interestingly – it has a lot to do with what kind of worldview it’s letting us in on. It has a voice, and good designers know how to help us hear it at it’s loudest, it’s softest, and all the nuances in between.
His website describes his label as “boundary-breaking, fun, daring, romantic, and socially conscious” and there’s no doubt his clothes reflect that (the socially conscious element comes in with his mentorship to people not represented in the fashion industry, especially people of color).
You can see his Baltimore roots in the collection, those thread of classic American streetwear in the stitching, pockets, and general toughness of certain pieces. It blends beautifully with that sort of assertive femininity common in Italian designers like Versace (check out that black leather bustier, it doesn’t get more Versace than that). For me, this is what American design has been lacking and it is exactly that which Cromartie offers in spades.
More importantly, his voice is ever-present, his perspective clear but not overly simple. His clothes are for complicated, bold, yet sensitive women, someone who appreciates art no matter its origin, street or studio. It’s the clarity of his point of view that hooks us in the audience and makes us want to wear his clothes.
Pluto’s Retrograde
The Spring/Summer 2020 collection is entitled “Pluto’s Retrograde,” indicating a sort of futuristic, magical discord. Those elements run through the collection, although always in balance. There are structured pieces that don’t lose themselves completely to utilitarianism, saved by neons, patterns, shimmer, or edgy tailoring.
This collection struck me most perhaps because of that guided “chaos,” as Cromartie put it. There’s a lot happening, but we don’t lose our way at any point because the collection is so balanced. In life we often find freedom at some mystery sweet spot between structure and pandemonium – maybe that’s why watching this show was such a joyful, even freeing, experience.
Image courtesy of LAFW and Manny Llanura
A Note on the Illustrations
I’d like to take a moment to mention the amazing talent of fashion illustrator Goda Pele, who provided us with her illustrations from this show! I had the crazy good luck of sitting next to her and her giant sketchbook one night, and watching the runway take shape in her illustrations was pure magic. She illustrates for L’Officiel Lithuania and Abstract Stylist magazines, and one look at her instagram will have you hooked! Isn’t it amazing how much talent there is in the world?
Stig’s Picks
Until Cromartie gets picked up by Nordstrom (take note, buyers), the only place to get your paws on his pieces is through his website. There are only a handful of items left, but here are my faves (all in stock as of this post):
What do you think? How much time before this guy is uber-famous?
love,
Stig.
