When is denim not denim? When it’s Diesel Black Gold. The Italian brand’s premium line, showcased in New York rather than Milan, is built around denim and leather, core pieces of any aspiring rock chick’s wardrobe. But with that focus also comes a need to present a variation each season. On Tuesday, it took the shape of damask denims.
“I’m not a denim scientist,” laughed Black Gold creative director Andreas Melbostad backstage after the New York Fashion Week show at a raw, industrial venue on Wall Street, “but some in my team are.”
“It was a really nice discovery to make damasks out of denim and then wash and treat them. It gave another richness.”
The cropped jacquard jeans, in midnight blue, were one of few appearances by denim in the nearly all-black show. If it is a leather jacket you’re after, however, Melbostad is your man. Variations on the theme included an abbreviated punk classic and a longline blazer with a shawl collar.
But what of what’s underneath?
Kicky little skirts that peeped out from under that longline blazer or equally oversized knits.
“Our girl has a rock rebel reputation but I personally love the duality of her. There’s power and strength in a great piece of structured tailoring; there is also power in revealing a little vulnerability with lace or a kicky skirt,” said Melbostad.
Those Diesel girls in the audience at the show included models Gigi Hadid and Coco Rocha; a trim looking Wyclef Jean also sat front row as did the brand’s owner, exuberant Italian entrepreneur Renzo Rosso.
Drop waisted black dresses in light wool summed up that duality with silky black lace inserts against metal buckles and hardware. Other pieces in black included a kittenish strappy top, and skirts with shiny chrome hardware on the bottom. That hardware was to be found throughout the collection, as buckles and keyholes on skirts, dresses, and sweaters.
