FALL 2016 READY-TO-WEAR
Victor Alfaro
By now it’s been well established that the unforgiving make-or-break pace of the fashion industry can be somewhat stifling to the creative process. One way to combat the constant churn of supply and demand? Make like Victor Alfaro and break away. The New York–based designer showed Pre-Fall for the first time this year, but he chose to present his Fall collection in Paris rather than kowtow to the limitations of the New York calendar. He wasn’t there just for the scenery. “We weren’t ready,” he explained at an airy, borrowed atelier. “We needed that extra month.” And by the looks of it, he spent his time wisely.
Alfaro took the extra weeks to create a tailored, richly felt collection focused on his coordinated outerwear: tailored vests meant to be worn over light jackets, reversible pieces, et al.—all in a deep, urban-by-way-of-downtown-New York palette. Everything that wasn’t outerwear—trousers that came cropped and wide, box-pleated dresses with dropped waists, slim suede sheaths—was still designed with his toppers (be they suit jackets or patchwork Persian lamb coats) in mind. It was a savvy merchandising move and one that created an opportunity for those keen on statement coats to think outside-in.