The distorted deviance that defines the idiosyncractic aesthetic of John Waters filmography was almost unavoidable at Adam Selman's AW15 show. The influence of the so-called Pope Of Trash remained a constant with rockabilly gingham capris, high messy beehives, 50s schoolgirl cat eye glasses and heavy box pleats. The silk headscarves helped to instill waves of the Cry Baby metropolis of Wanda Woodward with the additions of exaggerated primary wet look curls and casually coiffed masses of hair. Whispers of Cry Baby references subtly washed over the collection but it was Water's 1974 bizarre outpouring that is Female Trouble, which was also cited as inspiration for Miu Miu SS15, rendered mainly in Selman's design periphery.
"I'm so fucking beautiful I can't stand it myself! Now, everybody freeze! Who wants to be famous? Who wants to DIE for art? " - Dawn Davenport - Female Troubles
As much as Water's has been christened The Pope of Trash, The Duke of Dirt and The Prince of Puke, I mostly see him as The King Of Counter-Culture. Waters has spent his career turning bad taste into art with Divine straddling the bow of the ship. Female Troubles sees Divine play the matriarch of muck Dawn Davenport, teen mother turned sexual spin doctor turned fame hungry train-wreck. The models attainted the form of the sassy brats of the suberbs, twirling their hair, violently blowing gum and pulling a resting cool-girl face against wire railing in early 1960s Baltimore. People assume that The Pink Ladies were a moderately tough crowd but Selman's sweethearts are The Pink Ladies on ketamine and bordering of satanic.
"I wouldn't suck your lousy dick if I was suffocating and there was oxygen in your balls!" - Taffy Davenport
Another substantial string that was added to Adam Selman's bow was the appearance of intricate rib knits, a turn away from his weakness for sheer fabrics.
The Water's effect is also heightened by the Dawn like darker tones of the collection with velvet skirts with seductive slits and sheer black fabric dresses and was an irresistible homage to the original queen bee of debauchery. Selman has also commented that bad attitude played a significant role in the design process. Being a John Waters admirer it incited hysteria and nostalgia in me when tasked to dissect some of the original references and being able to revel in them. Rihanna is also a patron of the brand, seen recently wearing Selman's candy pink polyester dress that reads 'SPOILED' on the chest, perfect for a contemporary take on trash.
"I've DONE everything a mother can do: I've locked her in her room, I've
beat her with the car aerial. Nothing changes her. It's HARD being a
loving mother!" - Dawn Davenport
So who is the Selman girl? What drives her? Alongside the obvious cinematic maverick stylings is Selman's desire to create a tangible character from his collection. He designed with a person in mind, someone cynical with personality and verve. Bikini Kill's Rebel Girl tends to automatically ring through my ears throughout.
Selman said of the moodboard of the girls made for this collection that "These girls cant wait to get out of this town" and "They're just hanging out, loitering in front of the locker rooms or in the bathroom being nasty". The models were even instructed to act with a playful rotten disposition and to stare into space as if they're stoned.
Although gaining popularity through a fashion icon like Rihanna, I pray he shakes off the fast paced and pungent status as THE RIHANNA DESIGNER and can make a strong impending waves away from the whom what where and whys of the contemporary celebrity obsessed environment that some designers cannnot help but hang their entire ethics/brand aesthetic/dimensions and talent on.
