Channeling Chaplin — Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair Fall 2009

Mis­placed unaligned pock­ets, fab­ric draped uncon­ven­tion­ally, awk­wardly cropped trousers, unfin­ished col­lars, and dopey hats too small to be practical…

Every­thing was a lit­tle off at Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair’s fall run­way show. The imper­fect yet inten­tional fea­tures resulted in an unusual, but charm­ing col­lec­tion by design­ers Astrid Ols­son and Lee Cot­ter. The ill-​​fitting clothes can be seen as chan­nel­ing the fig­ure of Char­lie Chap­lin as the Tramp. Chaplin’s Tramp strug­gled between the real­ity of his deprived life and the air of remain­ing opti­mistic and cul­tured. In a time of eco­nomic uncer­tainty, Chaplin’s Tramp is a per­fect source of inspi­ra­tion. Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair’s fall col­lec­tion per­fectly illus­trates the Tramp’s strug­gle by giv­ing oth­er­wise chic pieces a clumsy ele­ment, whether it is the cut or shape. The clumsy ele­ment of the col­lec­tion trans­lates into an effort­less, tan­gi­ble art form that will breathe life and move­ment into the upcom­ing fall season.

Pic­tures from Fash­ion Week By Berns