With Lana Del Rey’s “West Coast” playing in the background, one certainly couldn’t miss BCBGMaxAzria’s Californian inspiration for the spring ’16 season.
Models walked the label’s runway show in ready-to-wear and footwear inspired by Southern California’s surf and skate scene, resulting in tie-dyed knits and different interpretations of the fringed moccasin.
“We’re based in Los Angeles. Usually you travel to find inspiration, but we started to look to our own culture,” said chief creative officer Lubov Azria. “It was really fun, because it’s what we really want to wear—it’s cool, it’s effortless, and it’s probably the collection where we’ve done the most sportswear.”
The latest collection included different suede, fringed lug-sole sandals—some done with chunkier heel heights, while others were kept high—as well as metallic sandals with knit leg-warmers styled overtop.
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No skater shoes, you ask? Though the patchwork bucket hats certainly alluded to 90s skater culture, Azria felt the need to keep the footwear silhouettes a tad more refined.
“We were going to go with shoes that skaters originally wore, but we liked the idea of [our customer] being grounded,” said Azria. “It’s not so much about skating, it’s about her lifestyle.”
Overall, it would have been refreshing to see a larger variety of styles and experimentation in the collection. The forray into less-girly styles was indeed noticed, but the finished product didn’t quite land a kickflip either.
For a closer look at BCBGMaxAzria’s spring ’16 shoes, click through the gallery.
