Dion Lee has been building stores in New York and Miami during the pandemic and the construction work bled into his collection. It’s a natural parallel for Lee, who has been fascinated with tailoring and architectural shapes since his earliest collections back in Australia. This season, he’s pushed modularity to the fore. Hunched forward sleeves can be removed from jackets and tops via hook-and-eye fastenings. Micro-micro-micro-miniskirts come with carpenter pockets. Blazers have fastenings at front and back so they can be re-pinned throughout the day. The brand’s popular braided knit dresses are back, now with even more holes and slits so they can transform into tanks or halters with ease.
With their multi-wear potential, Lee’s clothes look more suited for real life than ever before. But whose real life, exactly? Even his most essential, basic pieces radiate sexual tension. His fans seem to love it—the women in his Brooklyn audience challenged some on the catwalk for the shortest skirt. But what Lee could maybe benefit from is a little more grit and a little less polish. The cargo pants he wore for his finale had a patina about them that his very cool nylon versions may never wear into. Well, depends on how hard you party.
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