PAUL HARDY
fall/winter 2003

Deep chocolate and chestnut, wet charcoal and slate, the many funks of umber: Paul Hardy's tribal citizen for Fall 2003 has sober laissez-faire that cannot, no matter how hard it tries, forget how to be stylish.

Elusive dual layers play fugitive in the collection, silk/metal organza being the primary suspect. The jackets are avant-garde, and what the angora kimono jacket accomplishes with deconstruction, the paper silk opera jacket accomplishes with minimalism. The goat suede jacket is a simple item that works well as a separate, while other combinations validate each other, like the cashmere pointelle slouch sweater and goat suede palazzo pants. For a touch of academia there's the wool/cashmere sauron button turtleneck cardigan.

The creeping shrugs are the real eye-catchers of the collection, and they also look sinfully comfortable, pulling their night moves under the guise of wool, cashmere, and shearling. Despite the untameable nature of pieces like this, there is something decidedly calculated about Paul Hardy's rough cuts. This collection looks like the elaborately told results of a research project long in progress.

Daniel Cox
Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo
Photographer

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