Jen Kao (Q3193)
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Jen Kao is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Jen Kao |
Jen Kao is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Jen Kao had "serendipitous matches" in mind for Spring, and one of her favorite kismet couples, George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, contributed to her collection's groovy sixties-to-seventies vibe. Towering mules, frayed denim, and woven raffia in a hippie stripe were some of the era's usual suspects, along with an afghan or two. As in, the dog. Get it?! Suffice it to say, the hounds and the models both had perfect Marcia Brady hair.Good vibrations aside, Kao focused on versatility, designing pieces she envisioned the wearer being able to personalize. This meant the long black apron skirt Kao was wearing—a plaid version of which appeared on the runway with a fluttering white silk dévoré overlay—was actually a dress. Though everything else seemed to be worn as it was originally intended, you could see how the unstructured dresses could just as easily transform into skirts. The collection's one unabashedly sexy moment was a brief, two-look window that had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the clothes. But what a window! Kao embroidered children's book hero Bunnicula (the vegetable-sucking vampire bunny, in case you weren't a fan) on a miniskirt and a tiny peekaboo tank dress. And then, just like that, we were back. A wispy georgette sheath dress—gussied up with a pretty dahlia print that was picked up in a silk cotton dévoré—and roomy black pants with ample pockets in washed crepe de chine seemed to float down the runway. It may have been the calm pace, filtered light, and the gentle breeze of many fans, but this collection felt like a breath of fresh air.
6 September 2013
Jen Kao's Resort collection was inspired by a trip to the museum, where Basquiat and Gauguin got the wheels turning. The tension she saw between them negotiating, between control and spontaneity, was what she set out to explore. Accordingly, even within individual pieces, there was the push and pull of tailoring and flow. Sometimes, push and pull had too much yank. Kao was enthusing about the strange alchemy whereby technical sketches, which are flat, became actual, physical clothes, which are not. Dresses dangling squares of fabric like fluttering scrims didn't quite prove the point. But leather cocktail dresses with severe bodices and floaty skirts straddled the divide, and were more fun than cerebral. That's where Kao hits her marks. White cotton dresses with pleated panels had a clever zing; even simple looks, like a denim vest with matching stovepipe jeans, when enlivened by an odd choice—a rich grass-green color—were peppy and smart. Slub-jersey basics inspired by painters' canvas, on the other hand, managed to seem both comfy and overthought.
4 June 2013
Designer Jen Kao is at a crossroads. While she's still young and learning, she's also been around for long enough that the initial buzz around her talent has worn off. Instant celebrity wasn't in the cards for her, but with Fall 2013—arguably her strongest collection yet—she has an opportunity to make a real mark.Inspired by the boiler suit, Kao mixed traditional workwear staples—Carhartt-esque field jackets, shearling collars—with more glamorous accents, such as zip-off elbow-length leather gloves. "It's my approach to modern-day dressing," said the designer a few days before the Saturday afternoon show. "A mix of dolly polish and modern strength." When Kao kept close to that notion, she delivered big hits. A favorite was an off-the-shoulder cocktail dress in blush silk, piano wire-thin straps holding it up. That same silhouette delivered in black quilted leather: It's easy to imagine it becoming a must-have among art world scenesters. We also liked the Cruella de Vil-ish spotted fur, especially in the form of a straight pencil skirt. (With the models wearing a true red lip, you couldn't help but be reminded of the Disney villain.) Kao could have edited out a few looks in the middle. A blue box-sleeve tee paired with a gold Lurex skirt was nothing special. But overall, it was an impressive effort, topped off with some strong-but-sensible pumps and delicate claw jewelry. Those juxtapositions—tough but girly, rough but pretty—summed up a job well done.
8 February 2013
The theme may have been "Total Darkness," but Jen Kao's new collection—her most focused to date—proves that right now, everything is illuminated for this young designer. Inspired by the concept of structured haikus, Kao's Spring lineup combined asymmetrical hemlines and origami-like folds with high-tech sportswear fabrics. The result was clean, wearable pieces that still had a poetic edge to them.Rip-stop judo jackets and pants came accented with rubberized mesh that glowed in the dark, for example, and a simple shift dress was cut from Latex-bonded jersey that's typically used for athletic compression braces. Kao further nodded to Japanese culture with the stacked wooden geta sandals that the models expertly clomped around in, as well as block-print T-shirts portraying "en masse manta ray migrations" (sounds weird, looked cool). The finale look—a camouflage denim utility jacket with bungee-cord trim and matching jeans—was ultimately the most covetable here. While it was also the most trendy moment this season, it was still distinctly Kao's.
6 September 2012
Based on her eclectic collections and the daring, vampy outfit she wore to last week's CFDA Awards, you wouldn't necessarily take Jen Kao for an avid sports fan. But her latest Resort lineup is a game changer, starting from the ground up. Kao has been courting Nike for the past few months and collaborated with the footwear behemoth on a new capsule of graffiti-sprayed gladiator sandals with bungee cord laces—ideal kicks for sidewalk sprints between appointments during the warmer months. The clothes, meanwhile, specifically referenced mountaineering. Holding up a tiered silk maxi skirt featuring this season's digital print, Kao pointed out the tiny climbers scaling a craggy summit. On a less literal but more wearable note, there was a cool ripstop anorak here as well as distressed jeans accessorized with rucksack bags and carabiner-inspired pieces. Kao is headed to London next month with her entire family for the Olympics, and given these thoughtful designs, we're happy to see her embracing her inner athletic side.
10 June 2012
Jen Kao's show notes (accompanied by an original poem each season) are often a touch fanciful: "A foxy approach, polished but cagey. East meets West for nightcaps," said the program this time around. A cryptic statement, to be sure. But as the models stalked down the runway to a very David Lynch-ian soundtrack, Kao's cinematic vision for Fall began to unfold, and the result was actually more wearable than what we've come to expect from this imaginative young designer.The opening series of military-inspired fur barn coats added a masculine tenor to the lavish oriental silk robes, dip-dyed fringe, and needlepoint Swarovski mesh. Kao's favorite piece—a cassis-colored, lacquered trenchdress with fan pleating—best illustrated the balance between rigid and fragile she was aiming for, while exotic python briefcases and statement crystal strand earrings played up the quixotic side of the lineup. These were the kind of clothes you could picture real-life rocker girls like Zoe Kravitz (who sat front-row tonight) wearing out on the town after sunset.
9 February 2012
With each new season, Jen Kao spreads her creative wings a little further. Her Spring runway show began with a drawn-out moment of darkness. A glowing orb of a spotlight lingered on the first model's solar plexus before the runway finally lit up, revealing an impressive headpiece that would put most Anna Dello Russo fascinators to shame. Kao worked with Paper-Cut-Project designers Nikki Salk and Amy Flurry on the elaborate, origamilike pieces in the show, including that opening "Paper Crown Imperial Masque." At times they distracted from the clothing, but they heightened the collection's overall sense of drama.Kao did some Edward Scissorhands work of her own on a double cutout-shoulder striped number that had just a touch of sheerness to it. There was also a checkerboard knit dress and an ombré kimono trench in rip-stop fabric that called to mind the sunset scene in Baz Luhrmann'sRomeo + Juliet, a favorite movie of the designer's.Zooming in on accessories, stylist Catherine Baba slung multiple ostrich and leather mini rucksacks over the models' shoulders. And Kao created rose gold skeleton earrings and hand-painted "poison garden" charms. As a whole, it was a lot to take in. Like that crazy headgear, many of Kao's designs are less about everyday wear and more about creative appreciation.
10 September 2011
For her first Resort outing, Jen Kao showed a collection of "easy dramatics" that were more practical than the experimental pieces typically seen at her runway shows. Kao has always been big on traveling (she's been to Indonesia and Hawaii most recently), and she finds herself packing the same things each time. The looks here are the ones that make sense with her own jet-set lifestyle: relaxed pants in a tawny gauze knit that can be rolled up and stuffed into a suitcase, then pulled out wrinkle-free later; and a utilitarian, hooded parka in a faded "Aztec" print designed to protect a glam hiker from the elements. While it wasn't as far-out as usual, there were a few pieces that seemed more at home with Kao's aesthetic. We're thinking in particular of an ultraviolet shaved leather blazer covered in white paint that was paired with a tribal-looking bustier top and cropped, grass green cigarette pants.
8 June 2011
Jen Kao is into superwomen—not of the caped variety; think more along the lines of strong historical figures like Catherine the Great and the Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut. For Fall, the designer took us in a completely different direction from her beachy, boho Spring lineup. This was Ziggy Stardust meets Manish Arora meets Christopher Kane's galaxy collection, and the effect was powerful. An acid rainbow color palette was combined with "fishing lure" fringe, strong shoulders, sunburst pleats, and sparkly Lurex. Kao used aerial planetary prints on looks including a flowing silk chiffon wrap kimono. The stunning, cropped fur coat worn by Ajak Deng with multicolored fox and mink turned around to reveal commalike motifs, which, Kao explained backstage, represent moth wings. While many of the pieces here were more conceptual than wearable, there was a great ultraviolet shearling bomber and nubby, striped button-ups that would be seriously cool additions to an everyday wardrobe. Sarah Rutson is rumored to be on board; the Lane Crawford fashion director stopped backstage to pay compliments to the young designer, who is clearly one to keep an eye on.
14 February 2011
With Chris Isaak crooning "Wicked Game" and models strolling down a sandy runway, you could be forgiven for thinking that Jen Kao's Spring show was about the chicest girls at the beach. Instead, Kao's backstory involved girls wandering the desert in an altered state where they find the man of their dreams. As opposed to in real life, the designer explained backstage.Touché.Kao all but tossed her body-con reputation out the window with these dreamy and crafty looks, finished with dangling silver earrings, macramé foot wraps in lieu of shoes, and back-combed hair that looked clotted with salt. But the designer grounded the dusty pale crocheted knits and billowy silks in reality with measured doses of tailoring and structure. A natty white blazer was shown over an organza dress. A standout gown in various rosy sandstone hues had a fully structured bustier from which hung a fluid silk skirt.Though it seemed to venture further than ever from her established oeuvre, Kao pronounced the collection "the most me I've been." Mr. Right might be a mere figment, but sometimes reality can be just as exciting, like this solid push forward from a young designer.
8 September 2010
"I'm slow and patient," Jen Kao said backstage after tonight's show. That's not a bad way to be, both in moral-driven fables and when you're a young fashion designer. Kao's Fall collection came across as a measured but firm evolution of her witchy, cool-girl look. The designer opened with a series of ultra-sexy but sophisticated knit dresses that seem destined for the closet of front-row fan Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. From there, Kao pushed her signature diamond-pattern paneling into new luxe and directional waters. She mentionedMoby Dickas an inspiration, but with the dramatic, high-collared furs and futuristic seaming—not to mention the straight-cut bangs—there were definite shades ofBlade Runner. Still, two clear standouts—a body-hugging oxblood leather dress with the sexy flip of godet pleats, and a near-sheer seamed turtleneck tucked into a beautifully executed rabbit-fur skirt trimmed with Eddie Borgo-designed hardware—didn't fit into any overarching theme. Unfortunately, evening is still a work in progress: Kao's paneled takes on the gown never fully crystallized into an elegant look. The exception was a lovely, high-necked, almost Victorian embroidered gown that would do any woman, whether replicant or human, proud.
10 February 2010
Jen Kao lightened up for Spring. Her paneled suede bustier dresses and motorcycle jackets with cutout detailing on the sleeves were still plenty sexy, but in pale shades of gray and pretty, dusty pinks they were less goth, more romantic. Loose-fitting chiffon kimonos—including one with intricate chain work circling the shoulders—and a long, languid T-shirt jersey dress added to the softer, more feminine vibe Kao said she was going for. But once a designer to the nightclub set, always a designer to the nightclub set: Kao's chain-mail dress comes with rubber links so it clings in all the right places. A white suit with architectural shoulders was a bright spot. In the future, it would be interesting to see Kao flex her tailoring muscles a little more.
9 September 2009