Low Classic (Q3219)

What a pleasure to see Low Classic return to Seoul Fashion Week. The simple yet beautiful Spring 2018 show—its first in two years—underscored how much its presence has been missed. Coming at the end of the week, it let editors leave on a high note and proved two things: that Seoul can showcase more sophisticated clothes and that having the city’s stronger designers return makes an impact.Wood boards were newly stapled to the floor, leaving the smell of plywood in the room. White sheets were hung down a central structure and left to flap gently in the breeze. Backstage, designer Myoungsin Lee explained that, inspired by a month-long sojourn to Europe, she wanted to evoke the “Asian traveler.” “Meeting up with friends there, I realized the charm of seeing Asian culture in the context of Europe,” she said. “So there are a lot of traditional folkloric prints and a naturalistic feel.” It began with the sound of lapping water and nomadic clothes—loose white pants and silk tunics, a length of black fabric draped across the chest, as though the model were carting a sack of rice down the mountain. There were plenty of the languid slip dresses and cleanly cut separates the label is known for.Here, an elegant Asian influence was the thing. It was seen in the tightly leather-wrapped ponytails and a fantastic series of leather bags, shaped like traditional Korean earthenware jars. “I wanted it to feel like you’re carrying water,” Lee said. Three bags of different sizes strung onto one strap made that exact effect. Elsewhere, goblins, swirling mountains, and paper fans were worked into red and black prints, while a pretty silk top with Mandarin buttons was stained slightly orange, as though it had been steeped in tea. Though Low Classic is not the first brand to trade in fairly minimal, feminine clothes, it is the only major label making such streamlined items in Seoul—and at such a reasonable price point, it’s not hard to see why overseas clients might want in, too.