United Bamboo
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REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
NEW YORK, September 11, 2010
By Maya Singer
A word about cool: At the United Bamboo show this morning, perennial cool kids Kim Gordon, Harmony Korine, and Karen O were seated in the front row. This is worth mentioning because their presence raises the question: Why is United Bamboo cool? The look is fetishistically clean-cut, the vibe demure. The clothes convey the kind of detail-driven precision that is usually associated with model-train enthusiasts. Thuy Pham and Miho Aoki don't do trendy and they don't do directional. Season in, season out, they give a gentle nip and tuck to the classic, and call it a day. United Bamboo should be boring.And yet the best United Bamboo collections always have a pervy quality, as though the designers were persistently distracted by their curiosity about what "nice" girls might do in the backs of cars. For Spring, the pervy-ness was made relatively explicit, as Pham and Aoki aired out the Victorian underwear drawer. Coy white button-up jumpers were shown both alone and as underpinnings, and there was a kinky frisson to seeing the jumpers' bows and ribbons dangling out below a double-breasted linen blazer or a pair of high-waisted suede shorts.
Victorian bathing costumes led Pham and Aoki on two seemingly divergent paths: One led to the beach, a palette of sand and grass, and then on to sporty silhouettes and marine colors; the other led to the boudoir. Some of the best looks fused all this together, notably a pair of athletic short shorts in black lace and a red suede T-shirt-shaped apron dress cut away to reveal, at the back, a formfitting nude dress. For the most part, though, this collection's strength was its simplicity. A jersey minidress knotted in front, linen bicycle shorts, and spare-draped, trapeze-shaped, and A-line dresses all affirmed the influence of minimalism.
Meanwhile, accessories continue to be developed at United Bamboo. In addition to expanding the brand's selection of shoes (the best of which was a pump with a wood heel and ballet-slipper-kid vamp), this season marked its second canvas bag collaboration with Head Porter, and the introduction of sunglasses made by Facial Index. The sunglasses looked especially on point—a little nerdy, a little cattish. Just the kind of thing a nice girl might wear when she's being bad.
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Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear
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3.1 Phillip Lim -
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D&G Damir Doma Davidelfin David Koma Dennis Basso Derek Lam Diane von Furstenberg Diesel Black Gold DKNY Dolce & Gabbana Donna Karan Doo.Ri Douglas Hannant Dries Van Noten Dsquared² Duro Olowu -
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Edun Elie Saab Elie Tahari Elise Øverland Emanuel Ungaro Emilio de la Morena Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston Etro -
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Fashion East Fashion Fringe Felipe Oliveira Baptista Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio Frank Tell -
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Gabriele Colangelo Gant by Michael Bastian Gap Gareth Pugh Gary Graham Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Armour Gregory Parkinson G-Star Gucci -
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Haider Ackermann Hakaan Halston Hanii Y Hannah Marshall Helmut Lang Hermès Hervé Léger by Max Azria Holly Fulton House of Holland -
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Iceberg Imitation of Christ Isaac Mizrahi Isabel Marant Issa Issey Miyake -
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Karen Walker Kenzo Kimberly Ovitz Kinder Aggugini -
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L.A.M.B. L'Wren Scott Lacoste Lanvin Lela Rose Limi Feu Loewe Louise Gray Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luisa Beccaria Lyn Devon -
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Naeem Khan Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Neil Barrett Nicholas K Nicolas Andreas Taralis Nicole Farhi Nicole Miller Nina Ricci No. 21 -
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Ohne Titel Organic by John Patrick Oscar de la Renta Osman -
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Paul & Joe Paul Smith Pedro Lourenço Peter Pilotto Peter Som Philosophy Ports 1961 PPQ Prabal Gurung Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
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Sacai Sachin + Babi Salvatore Ferragamo Sass & Bide Sharon Wauchob Shipley & Halmos Sonia Rykiel Sophie Theallet Sportmax Stærk Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows Steven Alan Suno -
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Undercover United Bamboo -
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Valentino Vanessa Bruno Vena Cava Vera Wang Véronique Leroy Versace Versus Victoria Beckham Viktor & Rolf Vionnet Vivienne Tam Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood Red Label VPL -
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Wayne Wes Gordon Willow Wunderkind -
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Y-3 Yigal Azrouël Yohji Yamamoto Yves Saint Laurent -
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Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo Z Spoke by Zac Posen
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