Baby's first fashion show: Son Jung Wan FW2020

Son Jung Wan has existed since the late ’80s with a debut collection in ‘89. You probably haven’t heard of the brand. That’s okay because I hadn’t either up until a few weeks ago. You’re here to learn, right? You are? Then let’s get started. It’ll be a growing experience for both of us.

So, this collection was apparently inspired by “the 1950’s:” like, in the handout I got at the show that’s what was written down as the actual inspiration. What does that mean? The 50’s in Korea? The US? 50’s fashion or something else? If you ask me, the more specific an inspiration is the better. One of my favorite shows in recent memory was Undercover’s S/S ‘19 collection, built upon a very specific theme (gangs from the “Warriors” movie reinvented to reflect modern times), and every look from the show tied back into the inspiration. Unfortunately, it seems like Son Jung Wan came up with the theme after the team designed everything. Despite this, the collection was pretty cohesive. Nothing felt out of place.

In comparison to past SJW shows, Fall-Winter 20 featured pretty subdued pieces. Fall/Winter 2019, for instance, made use of colors and patterns that were much bolder, with neon yellow and light pink adorning many of the dresses. Silhouettes made a statement, with looks paying much more attention to fit and tailoring. For example, every women’s look this season was a dress or a skirt, while last F/W looks included pants, leggings, and full-length coats.

There’s nothing wrong with having a simple collection. Simpler pieces put subtle details on display. The first time I saw a lot of the looks from the show I thought everything looked very plain, and I was a little underwhelmed. Looking closer, however, I grew to appreciate the seaming and draping of individual pieces.

Take the look on the left for example, maybe it's because it was only my first show and I didn't know how to properly analyze pieces on the runway, but when I saw it in person I wasn't impressed. It just looked like a dress to me. But as I looked over the entire collection on my own time, the elaborate pleats caught my eye. The draping across the shoulders and asymmetrical skirt formed to make a gorgeous silhouette. I needed to take the time to examine the pieces in detail, and really appreciate the time that went into making them. In a way it's a similar deal with sneakers, I guess. An initial look at a shoe never tells you its full story. You always need to go deeper and investigate the technology and concept behind them. I know it's a goofy comparison, but there have been so many occasions where someone has told me they don't get why I'd spend so much on simple looking shoes. There are some things that can only be appreciated up close.

Still, my favorite looks from the show were the ones that made unique use of textures and materials. Son Jung Wan is pretty good at coming up with aesthetically pleasing ways to combine and juxtapose fabrics, and as I said before, details like that become more evident when a collection is so subdued.

Well, that’s Son Jung Wan Fall/Winter 2020. Overall, I gotta say I was impressed. Everything looked proper at the show, to the point where I didn’t have any time to adjust to what was happening. Lighting? The runway was lit perfectly. Makeup? Done professionally. I truly did not expect the first show I ever attended to be so legit. I’d say that now I have an idea of what to expect for next time, but everything ran so smoothly that there were hardly any surprises. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, I guess.

Photos: Courtesy of Son Jung Wan