Umit Benan is a storyteller, basing his latest scenario in a seedy New York alley circa 1990, populated by hotdog sellers, hobos and tranny hookers. Their faces shielded by balaclavas, models prowled down the runway, occasionally stopping to tag a wall. Having built an aesthetic based on relaxed silhouettes with Eastern influences and proportions, the sporty garb still had Benan’s stamp, as in athletic drop-crotch pant subtly nodding to the harem pant. An oversized terrycloth top and printed short combo was especially cool. Skidding in at the end was the balaclava-d designer himself, who zipped off to spray paint “Nothing Is What It Seems” before taking his runway bow. WWD
