September 11, 2017
by Liana Satenstein
There’s no doubt that diversity is under attack in the United States. Yeohlee Teng—who wore a T-shirt shirt emblazoned with a raised fist to her show—made it clear that her collection would be a melting pot of cultures. The “melange” of different societies, as Teng described it, was visible in the prints and silhouettes. She combined Southeast Asia and its history with the Arab traders who entered the region over six centuries ago. Here, standouts included an X-Acto knife–cut jacquard cheongsam jacket with a pretty blue cherry blossom print. Bold prints worked well among Teng’s solid looks, too, such as a natty geometric-print jacquard vest, which broke up the combination of a white button-up, light blue trousers, and an oatmeal-hue rain jacket.
The prints were striking, but the more solid items are what structurally stood out. A pair of trousers from Look 1 ever so slightly curved outward and tapered toward the ankles to twist the lower body into an interesting silhouette. Outerwear was strong, especially a waxed linen raincoat with oversize panels that nicely buffed up the chest, giving the body a structured, boyish form.
Of course, Teng always infuses her signature zero-waste philosophy into her design. One of the pieces that included the technique was a microfiber dress that was trimmed with scraps of Aztec jacquard—the same fabric seen in Looks 11 and 8. The addition of the detail added some needed contrast to the black dress and, of course, enforced the chic possibilities of Teng’s waste-free theme.