Adam Selman (Q2508)
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Adam Selman is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Adam Selman |
Adam Selman is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Always ready with a playful wink and a nudge, Adam Selman outdid himself today with his unabashed ode to ’80s haute-camp. It came off particularly kinky, even by ’80s standards, perhaps a nod to the surreal style of Guy Bourdin or to the clever satirists atToilet Paper. But no, in fact those cheeky illustrations and their fluorescent hues were based on the work of Cheyco Leidmann. As a whole, the collection was a tribute to the spandex-loving photographer and his eternally flame-haired muse, Ypsitylla Von Nazareth.Selman had been poring over the now-collectible photo booksFoxy LadyandBanana Splitthat the two produced back in the glam-is-good decade. He wanted to collaborate with them on the prints in the show as a way of acknowledging their lasting influence. (Good news from Selman: The two are very much still at it, kicking around Miami’s more colorful corners.) And he cited another reference, Paper Moon Graphics, illustrators of visually ironic, sexually suggestive greeting cards from the same era. Combined, they made for a madcap runway romp that alternated between amorous pop imagery and not-yet-forgotten ’80s froth, as in prom-like minidresses with puff shoulders, oversize blazers with a zipper down the center back, and bright faux fur galore. Shoes came as flat boots or daring thigh-highs fit for a dominatrix.Fun, bold, ever-so-sordid was the aim here. Upon closer inspection, one shirt bore an allover print of a girl salaciously straddling a giant banana. Selman said he was most enamored with a tiger print, which he rendered as a wrap tank dress, loose V-neck knits, and seductive off-the-shoulder numbers. A sexy, sheer version of that print stalked the runway as a sharp-shouldered and cinched trench. And, denim’s biggest fan, Selman couldn’t have a show without that most provocative of materials—well, after vinyl, and there appeared to be some of that too.
9 February 2018
“People are running from America like it’s a bad word,” lamented Adam Selman backstage before showtime. “So I wanted to run toward it, embrace it even more.” Ever the contrarian, he seemed to be citing both the less than auspicious political reality the country finds itself in, to put it mildly, and this season’s mass exodus of American designers to the catwalks of Paris.For Spring, Selman doubled down on his signature motifs, emphasizing “ease over froufrou” as he flitted between key looks. Denim, a classic among classics and Selman’s enduring material of choice, held particular fascination for him. He noted the recent Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, in which the quintessential American artist’s off-duty personal style—particularly her penchant for denim at a time when only cowboys donned the stuff—was given as much attention as her inestimable oeuvre. On Selman’s runway, denim took the form of indigo overalls, work jeans, and traditional jean jackets, as well as a showstopping last exit, a combination of the latter two items made entirely of opaque blue sequins. O’Keeffe as a touchstone also resulted in large iris flowers printed on the hems and cuffs of various pieces. Seemingly hand-painted, they echoed the show’s fantastic set design, paper irises sprouting on either side of the runway made by artist Daniel Murphy in collaboration with Papyrus stationery.“Fashion should be fun and bold,” Selman said in a defiant tone. How else to explain rompers, pajamas, gingham boxers, and high-stretch knit tops with trompe l’oeil plackets and hankie-stuffed breast pockets? Decidedly disco platforms, too, stalked the runway in unabashed metallic shades—Selman’s first foray into footwear. He’s also capitalizing on the popularity of his ongoing eyewear collaboration with Le Specs, christening the cat-eye styles with plucky names like The Last Lolita and The Fugitive. And now his fans can enjoy another outlet for his creative subversion; Selman is a consultant on his pal Amy Sedaris’s new TV show,At Home,in which the actress-comedian demonstrates her oddball crafts-making skills. Humor may be the best resistance.
8 September 2017
Adam Selman loves weaving his collections with quirky obsessions. His past fixations have included wayward John Waters characters, a forgotten nudist colony loosely affiliated with Elizabeth Taylor, and a Netflix crime drama that he couldn’t help but binge-watch. But top of mind for Fall, he said, was an old favorite: denim. In particular, he was taken with the rare bookAmerican Denimand its colorful illustrations of the craftsy world of ’70s denim art, each example more exhaustively embroidered than the last. “The book was sitting on my desk forever,” mused the designer, himself a fan of workwear, habitually seen in blue jeans or, as today, overalls. “Finally I picked it up and I was blown away by all the crazy creativity.”It’s not hard to imagine Selman poring over those images, wide-eyed and agog at the possibilities of denim, even if his own vision today was rather tame by comparison. A pared-down denim biker jacket, trench coat, and short skirt appliquéd with red roses emerged to a soundtrack taken from another current obsession, the 1966 spaghetti westernThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Only a few looks in, though, and we were confronted with the reality of another and quite opposing sartorial symbol of the ’70s: disco chic. Out came shimmering Lurex minidresses, midriff-exposing halter tops, sweater dresses, jumpsuits, and pleated party dresses. They smacked of a febrile Halston flashback, but in fact Selman said they were influenced by another Studio 54 staple, sisters Mariel and Margaux Hemingway. “You know how I look to the Hemingways for inspiration. They always do me right.”Those two things, denim and disco, merged into one supremely wearable collection, softened with a gently faded print—by fashion illustrator Ricardo Fumanal—of a woman in cheesecake-like nude repose, possibly a nod to mudflap girls. The desert vibe was topped with a cat-eye sunglass collaboration with Le Specs and culminated with a topless model holding a “ridiculously big bouquet of roses,” Selman chuckled, to cover her bareness. And so, while whipping up elaborate costumes for Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and RuPaul seems to be a thing of the past (mostly) for Selman, we’ll always have his motley obsessions.
10 February 2017
Why settle for just one great reference when you could have the whole lot?Adam Selman’s long been a bit of a magpie, aesthetically speaking, in recent seasons referencing a ’60s and ’70s nudist colony and, with his ongoing Le Specs collab, creating cat-eye shades inspired by Catherine Deneuve’s pair inThe Hunger’s iconic opening. And for Spring the designer made a cornucopia of touchstones work for him harmoniously.Perhaps in part that can be chalked up to the fact that now Selman is really setting his sights on His Girl and what it is she’s looking to his brand for. As one of this year’s CFDA/VogueFashion Fund finalists, Selman’s showing serious muscle when conveying the larger vision of his universe (rounding out the offering with accessories in collaboration with Chris Habana and a pair of corset-laced denim platforms).In palette, the collection followed a thread of dawn to dusk and beyond, opening with a series of whisper-soft ballet pinks, giving way to juicy, ’70s-inflected coral and tangerine knitwear, and closing with a story in inky midnight blue denim. Hewn from Selman’s far-flung fixations, the resulting show wasn’t dissimilar to leafing through a diary. Like the designer, it was a little bit country, a little bit rock ’n’ roll, and yes, bearing even a dose of disco (this season’s hero entry-level piece was the Summer Fever graphic crew—an homage to Donna Summer, with its slogan pulled from herFour SeasonsofLovealbum). Late Pittsburgh artist Aaronel deRoy Gruber’s candy-color Plexiglass sculptures informed a handful of luminous numbers created from stacked iridescent paillettes topped with pearls. Crafty, deliciously fusty crocheted styles could teach your grandmother’s afghan a few things, and the aforementioned Chris Habana-designed jewelry nodded to a little-known accessories capsule Antonio Lopez created in the ’60s.Like any good journal under lock and key, there were some saucier bits here, too; on closer inspection the darling pj’s sets Selman showed both solo and teamed with denim and Chuck Taylors (hallmarks of Selman’s own personal uniform) bore a porno print culled from X-rated 1940s footage. And while Selman is fluent in both cheek and kitsch, he clearly holds the masters of all-American sportswear in high esteem.
To round out his red carpet options for his growing coterie of A-list fans (beyond a certain, singular Bad Gal), this lineup’s closing looks included a spare and structured strapless gown in dark-wash denim, and a stunner of a grosgrain-striped tulle gown finished with overall straps.
9 September 2016
Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of places. Take, for instance, the anime-like scribble on a white baby tee inAdam Selman’s Fall lineup. “Oh that,” said the designer backstage. “I was hanging out with Justin Theroux and Amy Sedaris during the big snowstorm, and we decided to have a drawing party. Justin drew that and graciously let me use it in the show.” Remember, the idea for Selman’s last collection sprang from a wallpaper-hanging party with Todd Oldham and, again, Amy Sedaris, both of whom were front and center at today’s outing.But that’s where the arts-and-crafts theme ended for Fall, which veered sharply from the tropical breezes and John Waters camp of seasons past to a much colder, darker place. “I’m obsessed withMaking a Murderer,” Selman professed, referring to the smash-hitNetflixseries, a whodunit that follows the real-life trials and tribulations of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who goes in and out of prison for violent crimes he may or may not have committed. “In fact I’m a fanatic of the true crime genre. It’s all I read,” added the designer.It’s a bone-chilling, nail-biting new direction for Selman. Killer cocktail dresses, noirish knits, a plethora of his signature denim, several great puffer jackets (a new item for him), and a mysterious black velvet jumpsuit told his murder mystery—or, as he called it, “murder-in-the-night theme.” And, like his defaced baby tee each season, Selman likes to play with fringe, which here came as seductive black tulle in the closing dress, as well as allover barbed wire tinsel in red and silver. Selman also gave a shout-out toDavid Bowiein the hand-painted silver striping on various pieces, a nod to Kansai Yamamoto’s costumes for the Starman in his younger days.
12 February 2016
Ever the adventurer,Adam Selmanwill gleefully chart a course where others dare not go.Fallfound him obsessed with Cookie Mueller, an oft-overlooked bad girl in John Waters’s morally bankrupt coterie. This season Selman blew all the way to one of the smaller Hawaiian islands, where he discovered Taylor Camp, a ’60s and ’70s nudist colony on the oceanfront property of a witting Howard Taylor, shortly after his impossibly glamorous sister, Elizabeth, played her baddest role yet inWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Selman is keenly aware that he has a fondness for foul-mouthed spitfires: “I’ll always have my bad girls,” he chuckled backstage, beaming through his signature ’stache.Clothing isn’t optional on a runway, so Selman snapped out of his beach-induced high, brushed off the sand, and set about crafting latter-day hippiewear with a focus on what he called “nonchalant exposure.” Joyful flower prints and appliqués on jaunty summer dresses bounded out to a cheery sing-along soundtrack. They were mixed with breezy denim separates, as well as white bandeaux and drawstring slacks, some of which were reversed to reveal seams and pockets. An erstwhile symbol of modesty, gauzy crinolines were stripped of their cumbersome shells and placed front and center, starting with the first exit. Converse All Stars were also reworked, DIY-style, to become platform espadrilles. However, a baby tee with an illustrated image of “a woman smoking a blunt” was obscured by a denim jacket by the time it hit the catwalk.This wasn’t just a nod to pot-smoking, free-loving, skin-baring hippies, but also an ode to an authentic “craftsy” look, in particular the work of Todd Oldham, the designer perhaps best loved for so artfully cobbling things together on MTV’sHouse of StylewithCindy Crawford. Unbeknownst to most, there he was in the audience today, happily yakking it up with more of Selman’s bad girls, Amy Sedaris and Lea DeLaria (Orange Is the New Black). “It’s a tribute to me?” asked Oldham after the show, in believable disbelief. He described how he and Selman had met while hanging wallpaper with Sedaris. “I’m in awe of Adam,” he said. “He’s the real deal.”
11 September 2015
In a refreshing burst of honesty, Adam Selman admitted today that his inspiration this season was…Adam Selman. "I feel like girls appreciate the way I put myself together," he said, "and it struck me, they're probably looking for that in the clothes I design, too." Selman was on to something, and his instinct to emphasize the accessible and matter-of-fact as he embarked on his first-ever Resort collection was spot-on. With this outing, he went on to explain, he was trying to strip away the "show" elements—the spectacle and snazzy camp—and focus on the kind of clothes cool girls want to wear, day in and day out.With that in mind, the designer zeroed in on stripped-down garments with a relaxed attitude, ones that he elaborated with some novel detail, like the oversize grommets on his jersey dresses, or the silk back on his blue and navy-striped knits. (The puckish pearl embellishment, meanwhile, was an unlikely utilitarian detail: Selman had a ton of pearls left over from last season.) He also showed some playful denim pieces, which featured selvage fringe and a texture puckered with eyelash. The standout items here, though, were the space-dyed ribbed knits. Virtually brainless to wear, the knits were of a rayon that was fine yet muscular, with a hand you'd have to describe as "sexy," in that you felt an instant desire to be embraced by them.In sum, Selman's effort to produce a collection bare of bells and whistles served to affirm his canniness as a designer of wardrobe workhorses. It made you realize that, for all he likes to put on a good show, he's not just in the fantasy business.
10 June 2015
A lover of camp, Adam Selman put together a clever send-up of '60s bad girls, complete with beehives and a bubblegum-pop soundtrack—like a sassy scene out of a John Waters flick. In fact, that's exactly what the collection was based on, a scene fromFemale Trouble, when Chiclet Fryer (played by Susan Walsh) talks back to her teacher for reprimanding her outfit. "It's just a skirt and sweater!" she sneers, every bit the ill-tempered delinquent as her partner in crime, Divine's Dawn Davenport. In a moment of pure fandom, Selman delivered the line himself with the same petulant intensity.So that's how he arrived at the twinset, tweaking and twisting the '60s symbol of virtue until it became "rotten and spoiled." Selman filled out the collection further with gingham schoolgirl uniforms, polo-collared dresses covered in little bows of yarn, a belted midi dress fashioned after a trenchcoat, accordion-pleated skirts, and matching gloves. There were also bobby socks, oversize fuzzy sweaters, and rib knits—a first for the designer—as well as cat-eye shades in collaboration with Les Specs.Most of it managed to feel contemporary, not costumey, even though Selman's models stayed in character throughout, sauntering around the runway while smacking gum and twisting their hair. During rehearsal, the show's stylist, Mel Ottenberg (who also counts Rihanna, a bad girl in her own way, as a client), directed the girls to "stare into space like you're stoned." That's exactly what they did, to the delight of audience member Amy Sedaris, whose short-lived TV showStrangers With Candy, a sort of updatedFemale Trouble, was surely another cult inspiration.
13 February 2015
OK, let's just get it out of the way. Yes, Rihanna made an appearance at Adam Selman's Spring '15 show. Yes, she arrived after it ended. And yes, she was wearing a flirty white baby-doll dress from the new collection.For anyone who managed to miss the sartorial shocker of the year, Adam Selman was the man behind Rihanna's sheer crystal-covered CFDA gown. Whatever opinions you may have about Bad Gal's nearly nude turn on the red carpet, that dress got Selman's name into practically every paper, news broadcast, and household in the country. That's an achievement for any fledgling talent. However, Selman is more than a pop star's sensationalist one-trick pony, a fact he proved when he unveiled his sporty Spring range at the West Village's Algus Greenspon Gallery. That happens to be the same location in which Selman held his inaugural presentation just one year ago—but this was not a presentation. It was Selman's first full-fledged runway show, though he was hesitant to recognize it as a milestone. "I just want it to have the same energy and personal feel of my first two," he said. "It's not formal."Selman has a soft spot for nostalgia, and for Spring, he expressed it in more ways than one. The high-gloss '80s kitsch of Japanese airbrush artist Harumi Yamaguchi served as the starting point for the 24-look lineup, Selman's largest to date. "I also studied what my friends are wearing, so Spring is kind of this New York City girl with a dirty face of makeup meets Harumi Yamaguchi in a cool Jane Birkin way," said the designer.What on earth does that mean, you ask? Youthful, slightly suggestive ready-to-wear mixed with Selman-ized summer classics. Models carrying number cards (like in the old days, when designers held salon presentations) walked out in airy pleated trousers paired with teeny bra tops (and, on one occasion, a spilled nail polish logo tee), denim tweed athletic shorts or miniskirts, and grown-up iterations of overalls. The latter are sure to be a hit among the downtown set—the best version was done in white linen and shown with a billowing pajama shirt. The ensemble fell somewhere between streetwise and angelic.Despite the ongoing sneaker overload, Selman's choice to pair everything from floor-length gowns and ruffled minidresses to bathing suits with them still felt fresh.
Visors wrapped with bow-front scarves were sweet, but not saccharine, and sleek cat-eye sunglasses, a collaboration with Le Specs, brought onlookers further into Selman's retro, Pop-colored world.The designer seemed most excited about Spring's copious pearl embellishments, an idea he got after watching the 1986 made-for-TV flickBeverly Hills Madam."The only thing I took away from that movie was pearls. Lots and lots of pearls," he laughed. They appeared scattered on a sweatshirt; nestled between cutouts on waists, sleeves, and hemlines; and hanging from crop tops and separates. The danglers had a chintzy-meets-flamenco effect, but on the whole, the decorations were employed wisely. Selman also covered an entire mesh tennis dress with pearls. The resulting mini was very similar to (albeit much more opaque than) RiRi's CFDA look. "I think people were expecting that from me, and I wasn't going to give it literally. But I needed to give a little bit," Selman said. Including a wearable version of that infamous dress was a terribly smart move. Also smart? The fact that Selman kept 'em wanting more.
5 September 2014
What a difference five months makes. Since Adam Selman debuted his line last September, he has been picked up by a bevy of key retailers, including Opening Ceremony and Browns of London, and is working with one of the biz's most prestigious PR firms. Does the fact that he's Rihanna's costume designer and the cocreator of her recently wrapped River Island capsule have anything to do with that? Maybe. But we've got to give him props. Last season, Selman seemed like Riri's costumer who just happened to have a clothing line. This time around, he came off as a designer with a vision who just happens to collaborate with Rihanna.Selman's Fall story grew out of a bizarre current event: About four months ago, a hiker in the French Alps stumbled upon $300,000 worth of jewels. Allegedly, they were relics from a plane that crashed there in the 1950s while flying from Bombay to New York. "So it's hiking clothes meets India, but in a weird, New York, Stephen Sprouse kind of way," said Selman. How did he pull that off, exactly? For starters, there were his prints—a paint-splatter-cum-cow-spot pattern, and a seed motif that referenced traditional saris but was rendered in such a way that it recalled an urban grate.The designer's campy-flirty take on sportswear did the rest. Jersey caftans, a tech-fabric pencil skirt, luxe sweats galore, and playful wide-leg overalls, all worn with red or cobalt heels, blended far-flung glamour, athletics, and city life. There were easy, pared-down options too, like high-waisted twill trousers and a nubby wool bomber, as well as clever touches of sexed-up glam. For instance, one look—a black body-con floor-length dress and matching opera gloves—was made entirely of sport mesh. A hooded black jumpsuit paired with a snood seemed equally saucy (not to mention comfortable). Same goes for a roomy blue sweat suit, if only because it was shown with a hip-baring leotard (presumably this ensemble is Rihanna-approved).The details here—namely grosgrain embellishments, unexpected mesh panels, and braided backpack straps—deserve a nod. As do Selman's ribbed hats, the tops of which were knotted into floppy little bows. Apparently, they were born during a hazy night at home. "I was just playing around with some fabric and tied it around my head, and that was it. But it kind of came out TLC," he said backstage. No need to overthink it, Mr. Selman. Whatever you're doing, it's working.
6 February 2014
When one hears Adam Selman's name, Rihanna inevitably comes to mind. The designer, who got his start by helping to create costumes for stars like Britney Spears and Michael Jackson, has worked with the Barbadian pop singer's stylist Mel Ottenberg for the past few years to dream up custom tour looks. And, of course, he serves as the co-designer on her River Island capsule. This season Selman stepped out on his own, presenting his debut eponymous collection. "I definitely like to embrace that my name is going to be associated with Rihanna," said Selman at his buzzy presentation at a gallery in the West Village. "I love working with her, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."For his first effort he turned out a vintage boudoir collection inspired by retroCosmopolitancovers shot by Francesco Scavullo and an eighties HBO documentary about supermodels,Beautiful Baby, Beautiful."I thought about the model-photographer relationship," said Selman—a sentiment he spoofed by getting cult comedienne Amy Sedaris to direct his models during the presentation. Blending references from the seventies (evident in tricolor rayon palazzo pants paired with a turban-esque headband and a black blouse tied just below the bust) through the early 2000s (oversize backpacks with a raver vibe), Selman's offerings were playful and nostalgic. "I love the idea of a super-sexy, sultry woman, wearing something cut down to here, but it's unrealistic. I really respond to masculine shapes interpreted in a feminine way," he explained. Some of his wares, like a baby-pink silk cropped baseball shirt worn with matching short shorts, or little spaghetti-strap slips made in the same style, seemed more appropriate for the bedroom than the street. But others, like his oversize sharp-collared white twill trench shown with a black rayon one-piece swimsuit, as well as navy twill denim high-waist skinny trousers and a workman's jacket, were youthful and fun. An easy black twill romper was also a wearable standout.When it was suggested that Rihanna might favor some of his skimpier Spring styles, Selman offered, "I would hope so! She can have anything she wants."
6 September 2013