Yeohlee (Q3710)
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Yeohlee is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Yeohlee |
Yeohlee is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
It takes two months for Yeohlee Teng to produce a new collection. The first month she uses to brainstorm ideas for the coming season; during the second she brings her thoughts together. She kept it simple for spring, with her ideas stemming from geometric shapes. “This collection was fun to make. The collection was really about cutting and construction. It was an excellent exercise for me, and the results were very fluid,” said Teng.It primarily consisted of pieces that involved the circle: circle dresses, skirts, and even capes. For a bit of visual context, the shape of the fabrics was a circle: on the model, they might look 2-dimensional; however, when the wearer begins to move, you notice the shape more. If the wearer starts twirling in the dress, the circle shape comes together in full force. A standout example of this idea was in the closing look. What looked like a simple black and white dress from the front turned out to be, when unraveled, made of two circular pieces of fabric that created a striped look when pinned at the waist.Even Teng’s simplest pieces had an extra design element that wasn’t noticeable at first glance. Rain jackets featured a bubble silhouette for extra dimension; a denim pencil skirt had kangaroo pockets for your cell phone or wallet. Teng’s approach to fashion may look simple, but once you dig in, you find it has a lot of layers, like her clothing.
13 September 2023
Yeohlee Teng might not have been a math genius in school, but she certainly knows how to give a good lecture on geometry. For fall, she stripped away all the colors and patterns from the previous season, and used only shades of black and white to create a collection of zippered coats, ponchos, and pants with oversized holster pockets. She wanted to focus on the shapes and patterns of the garments, with a heavy emphasis on cuts and fabrics. “Different widths of the fabrics determine your cut. If you have a 60 inch fabric, you would cut it differently than a 36 inch fabric,” said Teng.All this talk about cuts was best highlighted by the dress in look 11. Called the “piece of cloth” dress, it is made from a singular piece of fabric. The dress wraps around the body and simply ties at the back. An example of Teng’s mastery of her medium.
23 February 2023
Two of the most impressive things about Yeohlee Teng are the pace she works at and her level of precision. For one look of spring 2023, she showed a black tank dress, noting that she made it only the night before. “I just decided that I’d make it and I made it,” she said at her Manhattan showroom.After all, Teng is a master pattern maker. She started at only 11-years-old in Malaysia, where she learned from a Japanese pattern cutter and began to create her own clothes. “The reason I am the way am about resources is that I grew up on an island only 46 miles in circumference,” said Teng of her zero-waste mindset. Zero-waste has been the ethos of her la bel since she launched in 1981, well before upcycling, eco-friendly, or sustainability were in the fashion lexicon. The majority of her collections are deadstock, which she lovingly refers to as “scraps” and she approaches her design like a puzzle, ensuring nothing is discarded.Teng’s designs and attention to detail show the most when her palettes are solid. A classic white shirt was tweaked and elevated thanks to an extended Mandarin collar. A pair of smart pants in black had slightly sloping pockets that gave a feminine curve to the boyish cropped cut. Still, one of the most impressive features was in the tiniest addition: a belt. On a denim trench coat, Teng crafted a belt that thickened in the middle of the back to follow the curve of spine, creating the illusion of straightened posture.
17 September 2022
Yeohlee Teng didn’t give collection notes this season. Instead, she offered a short piece written by the late curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Richard Martin, from a 1998 exhibit in which Teng participated. In it, he addressed the frugality of Teng’s designs; she was one of the purveyors of zero-waste before it was trendy.Teng’s approach is mathematical. “I believe in the magic of numbers, and when your numbers are right, the proportion looks perfect,” she said at her presentation in her studio. “It is synchronized with the body.” When the model walked out, Teng pulled a drawing out to show how she constructed a poncho in half sky blue, half black. She dissected a square of fabric, colored the other half, and fringed it, calculating the length and number of every fringe.More often than not, Teng’s creations are multifunctional. In one instance, a model wore what appeared to be a black organza jacket, but when she let go of the fabric the “jacket” descended into the second layer of an ankle-length skirt.Even the most basic pieces have precise dimensions. For example, a cobalt blue boiled wool coat was made using just under a yard of fabric. Teng mentioned that it didn’t have a facing component to ensure that all of the fabric could be used. The result was elegant and, literally, seamless.And when there are scraps? Teng digs into her archives and uses that fabric, including a jersey from yesteryear that she made into a pant that had ties affixed to its lower leg portions, allowing the wearer to adjust the silhouette as they wish. These days, there are plenty of designers employing zero-waste techniques, but it would benefit them to pay attention to the veteran Teng, who has always executed her sustainable designs with polish.
22 February 2022
I might need a therapy session after seeing the Yeohlee spring 2022 collection. Its title is Extinction, which was telling enough. “Life as we know it is kaput!” Yeohlee Teng told me in her studio. Top that statement off with some Lou Reed playing in the background. Sheesh. What’s the copay?Despite the dark title, Teng was in great spirits, and her clothes matched that. All of those thoughts about humanity ending as we know it energized her typically black and white palette with colors like yellow and burgundy, along with shocks of metallic gold and silver. That rich burgundy was the skirt of a black shift dress and added great contrast. Going back to Teng’s sculptural roots, the skirt itself stuck out in the front and back, creating a tentlike silhouette. Her boyish pieces were still there, such as her classic polished trousers, which were now paneled in metallic silver material—the same fabric that firemen use in their blankets. A pair of shorts with an elastic-band waist was made out of supersoft nylon, something that Teng noted was waterproof. (There were a lot of waterproof pieces in this collection and a lot of talk about downpours—back to end-times.)Of course, Teng’s signature, her zero-waste philosophy, which dates back to her beginnings in 1981, was present. For a black maxiskirt, she used a black-and-white checked stripe from her fall 1994 collection that was originally used for a cape. While she has always used her scraps to create new clothes, it feels like that is something the industry has only caught onto over the past few years, which Teng views as a necessary shift. “Everyone needs to take responsibility for what is happening in the world,” she said. And until the world is truly kaput, Teng’s Extinction is a good look.
9 September 2021
Yeohlee Teng took time during the pandemic to look inward but also outward. One of her biggest inspirations was New York itself, specifically the hustle and bustle of Fifth Avenue and 29th Street, where her studio is located. “I’ve been watching my street, waiting for things to come alive,” she said.Teng specializes in ready-to-wear with a sleek utility; many of her garments can be transformed with adjustments. The best example of such was a black coat that went over the shoulders like a shawl, affixed to the inside was a belt-like tie with two pockets. A high-neck tunic, inspired by the 2000 filmIn the Mood for Loveby Teng’s favorite director Wong Kar-wai, can be worn alone, but here was paired with wide-leg trousers that made for an elegant silhouette. Teng likes to dig through her archives, but this collection was forward-looking. A dress with a high slit and a low-cut back with criss-cross straps stretching across the spine felt new, even sexy for the designer. It seemed made for a reawakening world.
10 May 2021
For her socially distanced, remote showing of her Spring 2021 collection, Yeohlee Teng decided to film a video. When discussing settings with the director, she looked outside at her office’s West 29th street and noticed how the block was slowly coming back to life. She decided to film right there. Like many, Teng had witnessed the massive shutdown on her store’s street during COVID-19. Only recently had her block shown signs of life. Her longtime model scootered down the street among passerby, delivery men, and cyclists. It’s great to see Teng’s clothes in person but seeing them function in public, or out in the wild, is a different experience. The clothes have always had a conceptual edge: More often than not, a simple cape will transform into something else thanks to a nip, tuck, or tie.As always, Teng kept to her zero-waste mantra. This season, she included hand-painted scraps that she found around her office. The concept worked quite well when it was abstract, such as a top that had a wave illustrated on it with a pair of boyish silk satin pleated front, the perfect combination of polish and roughness. In other instances, the painting was meant to say something, in this case it was a comment on the current state of politics and the urge to vote. Pieces had “Vote” splashed onto them, like a monastic robe with a bib over the chest. Here, “vote” was written down the middle. As mass-produced, vote-minded merch is making waves throughout the industry, it is nice to see Teng take a more personal, thoughtful approach.
2 October 2020
Part of the joy of visiting Yeohlee Teng is seeing how she uses every bit of fabric. Even the smallest of scraps are somehow integrated in her clean and boyish designs. She’s been doing this for years; zero-waste and sustainability have been the driving forces of her company since its beginnings, long before the excess the fashion industry produces was a hot topic. This season, inspired by the British boarding school she attended with her brothers, she riffed on school uniforms. To create the pieces, she used fabric that she’s had in her stock room since the late ’90s. (She also used leftover materials from her resort 2020 collection.)In a way, Teng has always been developing a uniform. Season to season her pieces are polished, linear, razor sharp. Beyond basics like a hand-knit sweater vest and and flared pants, there were some fantastic oddball pieces for fall. One standout was an elongated jacket that skimmed the knees, which lengthened the silhouette in a monastic way. Another quirky piece was a wool check jacquard holster belt. It came with a matching jacket and was made to be accessible from the pockets of the coat. (In other words, a woman could slip her hands through the jacket pockets and into the holster’s pockets.) She called it the “pickpocket’s puzzle.” Funky, cool, and, yes, zero-waste.
14 February 2020
When I arrived at Yeohlee Teng’s studios on West 29th Street today, she joked that she was the “Queen of Scraps.” It goes without saying that Teng creates her collections using zero waste. She’s been doing this for years, long before sustainability became a buzzword in the conversation about how wasteful fashion can get. Teng is so skilled at using all fabrics that her work has been taught in courses at fashion schools and exhibited in museums. If you look at any Yeohlee collection, you’re probably looking at materials the designer has used from her beginnings in the early ’80s. That’s older than most of these young downtown folks creating clothes now.That said, Teng really knows how to make the most out of what she has, and it should be both studied and appreciated. There are lots of hands-on elements in her work, and many of the looks can be adjusted and worn different ways. Sometimes, when designers create hands-on looks, it feels complicated, and I wonder if the wearer even understands how to alter the pieces themselves. Teng makes it easy. Among her signature boyish silhouettes—loose striped pants and breathy tops in black and white—a favorite here was a “flip” tank. It was made from slate blue linen with a marsupial pouch in waxy gray linen. The pouch flipped not only over the front of the body but also behind the body. Teng mentioned she was thinking about putting a zipper on it to make it like a fanny pack (or backpack!). It transformed the groovy-sounding idea of “conceptual” into something that was actually both wearable and useable. You could put your wallet and keys in there. Maybe even a really small baby. The tank makes Teng’s philosophy about using everything come to life. Plus, it’s really cool to look at.
11 September 2019
Yeohlee Teng was practicing zero-waste design well before the word and all of its sustainable synonyms became buzzy. For Resort, she’s continuing to mix her archive fabrics into new pieces, with a specific focus on the hard and soft contrasts of materials. “It is a scrambling of timelines,” she said about the melange of fabrics from the ’90s, ’00s, and 2010s. There was a lot of linen, a fabric that, while applauded for its cooling effects, is often perceived as old-timey. Teng gave it a modern update by mashing together different textures: using it in a lamé form, like on a boyish tank top, and applying it as the stripe on a long sheer skirt. On one blue clingy jersey dress with a stellar drape—which can also be tied into a slouchy top—striped linen was inserted as a slice across the boat neck.Something else that should be mentioned about Teng is how well she cuts fabric. One example of this was a flag dress that had a slit only on one side. It seems like an arbitrary choice, but Teng explained that the singular slit wouldn’t disrupt the stripe or reveal the white skirt it was sitting on top of. While the collection may skew older in terms of silhouette, Teng’s approach has never been more important. Young people who want to delve more into the world of sustainable fashion should take note.
28 June 2019
Yeohlee Teng has a book, simply titledYeohlee: Work, that showcases her past designs and sits at the entrance of her store. It documents her exhibitions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, mostly showing her application of geometry in clothing and belief in zero-waste production. The book also includes collections of the ’90s, which include cameos by Stella Tennant, Esther Cañadas, and Alek Wek.Sustainability has long been an essential aspect of Teng’s work, but it has come full circle this season, with the designer creating pieces that incorporate fabrics from as far back as the early ’90s. A double-faced silk that was used in evening dresses and capes back in 1993 now acts as the fabric in a box-sleeve jacket, and the highlighter yellow of a maxi skirt came from a man’s sarong that Teng made for a party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2003. Teng also used excess fabric to make other pieces. In December, she posted a photo toInstagramwith the caption “Contemplating the scraps . . . ” They were eventually made into a nubby tank top and the stripes on tuxedo pants.Sometimes, Teng’s conceptual approach isn’t apparent to the naked eye. One waffled wool coat looked like a normal robe on the body, but when it was placed on the ground, it was a perfect circle. Teng pointed out that the sleeves were crafted out of old, unused material. The idea of using leftovers works for Teng, and for many years it has looked quite chic. Maybe it’s a formula that larger, more commercial companies can adopt.
1 February 2019
The color palette was a bit shocking today at Yeohlee. Unlike past seasons, the collection this time was dominated by bright hues. (There was not one piece of the usual black fabric. The only pieces remotely dark were two denim items.) The timing for designer Yeohlee Teng to take a sunnier route could not have been better: The last week has been overcast and rainy. The collection opened with a citrus-color oversize shirtdress and a pair of wide-leg gingham cotton trousers in tones of blue, moss green, and orange. Call it a ray of light. That gingham piece was later translated into a vacation-minded jumper worn under a white linen jacket with a scooped neck and a detachable hood that hung like a mantilla veil.Welcomed bursts of color aside, the most surprising aspect of the collection was the slivers of sexiness that made peekaboo appearances. One of the best pieces was a slinky denim tank top. It came slightly cropped, with two thin straps that made an X on the back. For some of that late-’90s goodness that is all very now, it was paired with a low-slung pin-striped skirt that was pulled down to the hips to reveal the midriff. Another version of that barely-there tank came in pinstripes with a very Teng zero-waste touch, boasting an exposed selvage as the top trim.Teng said the collection’s new mood was inspired by a number of things, from the colors of metals and shells to a fighter-pilot friend—see the dreamy tropical-print jumpsuit—but really, it all came down to this: “I wanted to know what clothes do for people and how they make people feel.” A happy little string tank top infused with her sustainable philosophy is something that will make its wearer feel and look very good.
10 September 2018
Yeohlee Teng has long made her clothes functional, typically with a defined purpose. For Resort, she was influenced by spring’s unpredictable weather, which included lots and lots of rain. To combat the elements, Teng introduced several lightweight rain jackets that were made to be worn even sans drizzle. A white waxed-linen coat was expertly tailored—Teng has historically been a mathematical designer—and was almost weightless. The fun part about this piece was that it also acted as a skirt. Teng explained the idea behind it was that when the wearer gets her pants wet in the rain, she can remove them and instead wear the jacket as a skirt. It sounded and appeared a bit odd, but in theory, it could work. One of the most useful pieces of rain gear was a black polyurethane jacket with an adjustable hood that the wearer can conveniently tie under her chin like a kerchief. When she undoes it, the two pieces of fabric simply sit on the shoulders, so there is none of the bulk that commonly comes with a hood.Aside from raincoats, there were several other great tops, like a white tunic that had a pattern of black dashes that Teng referred to as “Morse code” and a very cool, almost trippy effect. Employing her zero-waste philosophy, she used the scraps to create the straps of a black dress for a hit of contrast. While Teng usually shows boyish forms, it’s nice when she adds some variation: A standout was a wide plaid shirt with puffy box sleeves, a silhouette on which she based one of her funky zero-waste hats.
8 June 2018
Yeohlee Teng has been working with zero and minimal waste since the beginning of her career. For Fall 2018, she used a total of just nine fabrics (an important point, she noted.) The straightforwardness worked well with Teng’s polished tailoring, which typically cuts a boyish figure. It was inspired by a mélange of influences, including samurais, ninjas, concubines, and amahs—women (or girls) responsible for taking care of families and their homes. On the more traditional front, a standout included a denim suit with a mandarin collar. Another mandarin collar piece was meticulously crafted, made out of a white jacquard jacket that appeared pin-poked (aptly named Starbrite dots) and styled with a pair of trousers. (Starbrite dots also appeared on a cool loose white dress with oversize pockets outlined with black piping that boasted an elevated workwear feel.)There was a print in the mix, titled Nitesky. It was reminiscent of the eerie shadows of forests when used on a pair of kicky pants, which, when worn with a rough-edge hooded vest, looked like slick postapocalyptic-wear. While many of the pieces followed the label’s expected mannish silhouettes, the feminine looks were the most exquisite by far, such as the satin numbers. In one long and linear getup, the satin zigzag pants, a lustrous satin matching jacket, and a slinky black ribbon tank all seemed to float into one another. Minimal waste never looked so pretty.
12 February 2018
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.
11 September 2017
There is an innate feeling of convenience when it comes to Yeohlee Teng’s clothes. She often employs the idea of “no-frills” in her masculine-cut looks. This season, most of the pieces came with a hidden, on-the-go appeal: There were thin pockets on the inside of a coat that could easily hide an iPhone and slim pockets that mimicked the continuation of slits on a white caftan dress. Slight details played an elevating note in this collection, especially on the more simple pieces: A green button-up had a fade on one side of its back, adding a level of depth, and on a collared shirt, there was a double placket that gave it an extra shot of nattiness. Teng’s standouts were on the print-based side, such as the royal blue and black striped Malay men’s suit that could easily be worn as polished separates.There is, of course, Teng’s signature zero-waste method. She’s been working with the concept her whole career, exhibiting her clothing in museums around the world, and constantly honing the technique. One example of a zero-waste piece here is the white denim jacket with a weightless feel. For it, she dipped back into her archives, citing a similarly cut jacket that was on exhibit in Berlin. For the original jacket, there was extra waste when it came to the cross section of the neck; the cut-out gave the topper a flat back. But this time, Teng cut the neck differently. Although it was a slight adjustment, the decision to go completely zero-waste completely changed the form of the piece: It now has a rounded, scarab-shaped back. Maybe not everyone will understand the layers behind Teng’s mathematically involved fashion philosophy (though they should really try), but a crisp jacket like this is a classic and can easily become a wardrobe staple for any woman at any age.
14 June 2017
Yeohlee Teng has always applied math to hercollections, whether using geometric shapes as prints or mapping out the set of her show. (For Spring 2016, models stood on 36-by-36-by-12 platforms.) One theme in her design style is “zero waste,” in which she uses fabrics to their maximum capacity. For example, this time, four pieces, including palazzo pants and a matching tunic, only used four meters ofshibori. A vest-meets-scarf was one of the smartest additions both in appearance and clever utility: It could easily be thrown over the shoulders, had pockets, and was made out of the leftover quilted nylon from a vest in look 1. “I thought I would make something useful from the scraps,” said Teng. “It is multi-functional. It sits really well.” That same sort of functionality also came through in a poncho with a pocket and a natty blazer-style jacket with a hood.That same sort of precisely calculated aesthetic translated into the overall sharp look of the collection, a quality that Teng is well known for. A camel hair cocoon coat jutted out so it created a structured shape, while a pair of pin-striped trousers had just the right amount of slouch. A boyish gray cotton wool and mohair plaid jacquard was a standout. Even better? That, too, was also a zero waste piece.
13 February 2017
“Zero waste” is a term you hear often inYeohlee Teng’s showroom. Since way back, her label has prioritized sustainability and the practice of using every inch of fabric. It’s a method she’s been teaching young design students, too—she just started leading a construction class at Parsons School of Design. In her new Pre-Fall collection, a textural blanket coat with just a few slashes and stitches was the epitome of zero-waste. Other items might have created a few extra scraps here and there, but Teng always finds a way to use them for something else.“Useful” is another good way to describe Teng’s collections. Every item has a purpose, won’t feel dated in two years, and can be worn a few different ways. Consider the jersey dress with sashes around the waist, which could be cinched and knotted, left hanging down, or tucked into the pockets. Items like that are also seasonless: Teng referred to both the dress and a weightless quilted jacket as “spring-summer-fall-winter.” The collection’s color palette was similarly flexible—just black, gray, and white—but since the collection will hit stores in June, it would have been more exciting to see some of the pieces in bright, unexpected colors.
15 December 2016
Sustainabilityis a fashion industry buzzword right now, but Yeohlee Teng has been thinking about her carbon footprint since before it was trending. “Minimize waste, maximize use” is her motto, so she tries to use every last scrap of fabric in her sewing room. Her approach centers around designing “efficient” clothes—functional, comfortable, and, above all, without frills. Teng’s customers are mostly women of a certain age who aren’t looking for the next must-have thing; they want clothes that will fit into their sleek, simplistic daily uniform so they can focus less on getting dressed and more on the tasks at hand.Today’s show was a continuation of those ideas, but there was a new softness in the silhouettes. Past collections were oversize and boxy, but here it was more about fabrics collapsing around the body.Spring ’17found Teng working with texture more than ever, particularly with a “shutter” fabric used on a boxy coat and shift dress. A khaki-color silk and cotton jacket also introduced a welcome bit of shine to all the crepes and matte jersey. What would be really surprising, though, would be to see Teng embrace a more womanly, body-skimming silhouette. Her clothes are always quite oversize—sometimes bordering on shapeless—and a defined waist is feeling a lot more relevant right now.
13 September 2016
Yeohlee Tengis a designer committed to useful, practical clothes; you won’t find anything superfluous or fussy in her 29th Street store. It doesn’t always make for visually exciting pieces, but that’s okay with Teng; she’s more concerned with stealth construction and highly efficient fabrics. Past collections have centered around mathematical equations and “zero waste” seaming techniques. For Resort, her inspiration was a bit more emotional. Teng had three of her favorite women in mind: Georgia O’Keeffe, Agnes Martin, and Carson McCullers.You could sense O’Keeffe’s personal style in the long, fluid layers, like a flowing black trench that could also be worn as a dress. It looked a bit stark by itself but would have modern, wear-everyday appeal styled over vintage jeans and flat mules. A silk blazer with scarf lapels was similarly hardworking, and it felt a bit more youthful than the boxy jackets in the lineup. It’s hard to picture a trend-focused shopper investing in one of the oversize shirts or jacquard Bermuda shorts. No biggie: Teng has a loyal clientele of artsy, grown-up ladies who want to be unencumbered, not of-the-moment.
30 June 2016
You can rarely sense a specific theme inYeohleeTeng’s collections. The designer is more concerned with clever construction, like fashioning a dress out of one square of fabric, or flipping a skirt upside-down into a slouchy sarong. Both of those items were included in her Fall lineup, but backstage, she also mentioned a surprising jumping-off point:Star Wars. Ninjas and samurai, too.From a cursory glance, you may not pick up those references in her oversize, monochromatic clothes, but there was a renewed sense of structure here. Dresses and tops had strong, rounded shoulders, loosely evoking armor; and one look featured a jacket and skirt in a slick, waterproof material, so you could walk through a rain shower without needing a trench. Several items, like a fringed skirt and mixed-jacquard silk jacket, were pulled straight from herPre-Fall collection, which felt a bit redundant. The only truly surprising look was the finale: Teng’s first-ever tuxedo, comprised of skinny charcoal trousers and a matching jacket with stand-up lapels and long, rounded tails.
15 February 2016
YeohleeTeng is a designer who likes to talk about left-brain functions: math, science, geometry. A cursory glance at her Pre-Fall collection might lead you to believe she had those principles in mind, but her inspiration was refreshingly less cerebral than seasons past. In fact, she called it “chaotic” and “intuitive.” Two very different women defined the mood: Marilyn Monroe’s character Sugar inSome Like It Hot, and abstract artist Jennifer Bartlett.Unlike past collections, those references came through quite literally in a few looks. A fringed skirt and jacket were classic Sugar, and collaged floral and houndstooth jacquards mimicked Bartlett’s vivid grid paintings. One Bartlett-esque jacket with pouf sleeves and a surprising palette of chartreuse, eggplant, and black looked fun and playful next to Teng’s more familiar, minimal separates. She didn’t abandon math and construction entirely, though; a color-blocked charcoal dress that appeared to be stitched from four separate triangles of fabric actually didn’t have any side seams, so it was lighter than you’d think. Teng called it “efficient”—less fabric, less fuss, less morning wardrobe crises.
11 January 2016
Math isn’t one of the things you hear fashion editors talk about while they wait for runway shows to start. (We’re right-brained people!) ButYeohlee Tenglikes to think about numbers and geometry when she designs her clothes. At first glance, Teng’s Spring collection was as simple as it gets—all button-down shirts, scoop-neck T-shirt dresses, and pencil skirts—but most pieces were designed with equations in mind. Pockets were placed in perfect 6-by-6-inch squares, and a spongy, bonded wool coat was cut from a giant circle. The models even stood on a 36-by-36-by-12-inch platform in the middle of her tucked-away 29th Street store.Teng also considered how clothes fill up the negative space around the body—see the rounded ecru coat with pouf sleeves, which concealed the model’s every curve, or the sheer filigree shirts, which seemed to take up no space at all. Of course, the average shopper likely won’t consider those factors when she grabs aYeohleeparka off the rack, but the emphasis on numbers and form did lend a sense of order to the designer’s sometimes vague aesthetic.
15 September 2015
Yeohlee Teng is a technical designer; the trick is that her clothes don'tlooktechnical. You wouldn't guess that an oversize white blouse was actually sewn from a giant square of cotton poplin—it was soft, flattering, and eminently wearable, though it did get a hint of high-tech with a full zipper in place of traditional buttons. "I like classics with a twist," she said. Hundreds of other designers have said the same thing, but few experiment with construction the way Teng does. You could see it in a black "jean jacket" with soft volume in the back and a drapey skirt that was actually cut from a single rectangle. Teng's usual customers will be happy to add those to their repertoire, but women looking for something a bit preppier will scoop up the Bermuda shorts and pencil skirts in a nautical ticking-stripe cotton.
19 June 2015
Yeohlee Teng often thinks about her fabrics before she starts designing a collection, and for Fall '15, she was particularly dedicated to her "no waste" policy. Instead of discarding the extra fabric from a jacquard, she used it on the yolk of a sweater or as paneling down the side of a pencil skirt. "Mathemagical," is what she called the results. "There's an artfulness in the repeating jacquards, but we were conscious about not throwing away piles of fabric," she explained. The collection was more or less comprised of Yeohlee signatures—generous silhouettes, color-blocking, and an "urban jungle" palette of black, pewter, off-white, and red.But a closer look revealed some new technical details that Teng's customers will appreciate: For example, a black double-face cocoon coat had a graceful oval shape and reversed to a deep plum. Teng loves a two-for-one moment. Similarly, she played with proportions and visual tricks on a slick raincoat—from the front, it was sleek and double-breasted, but a top layer could be unbuttoned to reveal a zippered shell underneath. It was subtle, but the Yeohlee shopper isn't looking for bells and whistles. The boldest looks were the ones that channeled Sol LeWitt, with graphic curvilinear lines dancing across a silk draped jacket and flared trousers. They weren't technically complex, but their fluidity was enticing.
16 February 2015
Is feminism trending? Yeohlee Teng would probably say no, but the photos of suffragettes and '60s-era women's rights activists on her Pre-Fall mood board did feel particularly of-the-moment. "You can't just think about fashion anymore," said Teng. "You have to consider the social context. I was thinking about these women because of the turmoil that's going on around us right now." In lieu of splashing political messages on her clothes, Teng's references informed the collection in a more utilitarian way. "I would like to imagine that I design clothes for you—easy to wear, urban, multifunctional, and useful," she explained. A black, white, and gray palette with pops of cherry and fuchsia looked right for the no-fuss woman, ditto the wrinkle-resistant jersey, stretch cotton, and gabardine. The only trace of retro nostalgia came in the form of a blown-up daisy print. Otherwise, these pieces were spare, minimalist, and could more or less be worn like a uniform—zero styling required. Boxy silhouettes touched on Teng's love of geometry, such as a pair of cigarette pants that were actually two inverted triangles sewn together. Ultimately, it was the tiniest details, like dropped shoulders, curved seams, and soft pleats, that added interest. One of Teng's strengths is creating fluid volume without adding heft; her customers will especially be into the LBD with elbow-length sleeves, pockets, and a shirttail hem.
7 January 2015
Whether she's minimizing production waste or single-handedly staging her own fashion show, Yeohlee Teng's resolute efficiency is admirable. The designer believes in the economy of geometry and uses shapes as the building blocks for each of her carefully considered collections. For Spring '15, Teng collapsed squares, crescents, ovals, and triangles into a structured, distressed cotton top paired with Cubist printed shorts. Describing another shirt that appeared to be cut from crackled paper, she said, "I wanted to make it look like a flattened box and constructed it out of 34 inches of fabric total. Saving material like that is the olive in the martini for me." Among the other highlights in the linear lineup were microfiber palazzo pants, hooded jackets with red and white paint splatters, and a graphic jersey cocktail dress featuring contrasting triangles that overlapped at the bust.While a lot of thought goes into Teng's clothes (everything is created with an eye toward sustainability and manufactured in the Garment District), the overall effect is terrifically simple, comfortable, and urbane. For example, it was easy to imagine the girl in look 11 walking down the street in her basic white T-shirt and black skirt-shorts hybrid. And walk down the street is exactly what she did. While Yeohlee's shows are usually intimate affairs attended by Teng's friends and family, this time around the designer opened things up to the public by having her models parade the sidewalk outside her boutique on 29th Street. The spectacle caused a foot-traffic bottleneck, to say the least. Teng's longtime pal Bill Cunningham even staged an impromptu photo shoot outside a construction site nearby. Talk about street style.
8 September 2014
Before gathering her thoughts for Resort, Yeohlee Teng paid a visit to the Louis Kahn-designed Esherick House, in Philadelphia. "I don't like using places I haven't been to for inspiration," said the designer in her newish boutique in Manhattan's increasingly fashionable NoMad neighborhood. (The Ace Hotel is next door, and Dover Street Market is just a few blocks away.)Teng was taken with the Chestnut Hill home's kitchen, designed by Wharton Esherick, whose sister owned the house. Esherick's carved wooden pieces inspired the graphic lines printed on a painterly floral dress with a handkerchief neckline, and his amoebic coffee table helped to inform the curved pockets and hem of a black knee-length skirt.There was a chic practicality to the collection that was best represented in the minor details. The back and front of a black-and-gray striped tank were cut from the same pattern so that it could be worn either way. (One side had wider stripes than the other.) A crinkle-cotton blouse—called the "Schindler" after the architect Rudolph, who often wore a white shirt—had a freeing hidden zipper up the back. If a piece had pockets, as on the back of a yellow pencil skirt, those pockets were deep, so that they could actually be used.But while the tiny moments were many, it was a pair of billowy wide-leg trousers in off-white that stole the show. They were worn with a tank made of a highly touchable navy microfiber and a matching blazer trimmed in the same fabric. A tie-able sash was attached to the blazer, cut on the bias to reveal unfinished edges. Teng's skill is in draping and manipulating fabric in such a way that it hangs beautifully without the wearer knowing why or how. There's something pleasing about that kind of discretion.
10 June 2014
The big news from Yeohlee Teng this season is the introduction of a new menswear capsule. It's a natural expansion for the designer, who has created one-off pieces for pals such as Costume Institute curator Harold Koda, and already offers several unisex items (including a best-selling rain jacket sold at the Neue Galerie) in each collection. "I've had many requests and some demands from male architect friends and designer friends, so I was compelled to do something," Teng said before her Fall Yeohlee show. Another impetus for launching Yeohlee Men's was the location of the brand's recently opened Manhattan store on 29th Street, just down the street from the swanky Ace Hotel. "I have a lot of cool-looking guys popping by, and I thought it would be good to capture that audience," she said. Teng just might succeed at drawing in those hip guys—especially if they're eco-conscious—with her new range of efficiently cut, zero-waste basics such as slim black jackets, Velcro duffle coats, and jersey slacks. Many of her masculine looks were shown alongside corresponding outfits for the girls. She sent out a pair of blood red toppers cut from boiled wool bonded with faux shearling. With its practical hood and curved hem, the women's style was a bit more convincing than the men's.Teng's work is often influenced by the arts, and this time around she referenced the De Stijl abstract movement as a jumping-off point. A peach-colored brocade skirtsuit printed with graphic, bifurcating stripes tapped into this inspiration, as did the standout finale look, a silk crepe evening set featuring a scratchy "bird's nest" pattern, which was finished off with a sparkly paisley tuxedo jacket. The lineup could've been a bit more cohesive overall, but broken down, there were plenty of terrific separates here.
10 February 2014
The past few months have been particularly busy for Yeohlee Teng, who was recently forced to vacate her Garment District store/headquarters and set up shop several blocks south. (Her former building is reportedly being transformed into a boutique hotel.) "When these things happen, you just reinvent and move on," she said during a Pre-Fall viewing at her new space on 29th Street. The lineup suggested a fresh start, in a way, with its stark black-and-white color palette and streamlined silhouettes loosely inspired by early modernist architecture, Rudolph Schindler's Los Angeles works in particular.This season, the eco-conscious designer embraced a slouchier look with relaxed jodhpurs and ultra-wide-leg trousers cut from recycled microfiber that swooshed with each step. "I try to create clothes that have kinetic energy and are full of movement," she said. A kaleidoscopic "Murano" print splashed on a jersey shift dress and turtleneck also added verve to the collection. Keeping her "urban nomad" customer in mind, Teng focuses on both sustainability and functionality; practical outerwear is always a strong suit. The highlights here included a water-resistant coat and hooded rain slicker.
16 December 2013
Yeohlee Teng staged her moving Spring show at the Jones Wood Gardens, a leafy enclave located in the backyard of a nineteenth-century town house on the Upper East Side, which effectively transported guests away from the chaos of New York fashion week. The urban oasis also served as the jumping-off point for the latest Yeohlee lineup, filled with pretty, natural colors like powder pink, pewter gray, and verdant green. As usual, Teng focused on creating thoughtful, sustainable clothes (produced from start to finish in the Garment District) by implementing patternmaking techniques that minimize environmental waste. Easy silk georgette rompers and body-skimming shifts with beautifully draped backs featuring a geometric plant-cell-inspired print had organic appeal, as did a breezy shibori-dyed chemise. Teng mixed in those softer pieces with more structured ones, including a paperweight raincoat (similar to a recent Resort style), crisp rectangular tops gathered in front with a sash, and a crinkled metallic cotton tunic-and-shorts set hand-embroidered with gray ribbon that created a broken vector motif. A trio of minidresses at the end were definite standouts. They were completely unadorned, which highlighted their engineered stitching. "I treat seaming as a decorative detail," Teng explained afterward. Overall, her calm, considerate approach to design and the serene show setting made these minimal clothes meaningful.
8 September 2013
Yeohlee Teng's cool, calm, and consistent efficiency deserves to be commended—even if she prefers to fly under the radar. Season after season, the designer creates carefully considered, functional clothes that leave as small of a carbon footprint behind as possible. At a Resort preview in her Garment District studio/store, Teng explained, "The spirit of the new collection has to do with the simplicity and modernist architecture of Fire Island Pines."Simplewas indeed a way to describe a water-repellent white coat with clinical appeal, a pair of crisp cotton judo-inspired pants, and cute trapeze-shaped sundresses that were so lightweight, they prompted the model to jump around and say, "I don't even feel it."But looking that easy takes more work than you'd imagine, and Teng meticulously places each seam to create zero waste and engineers the prints to use as little fabric as possible. She showed a geometric, painterly pattern on natty jackets and pencil skirts, and incorporated a digital image of a Japanese waterfall on a silk-paneled popover frock. Teng's thoughtful clothes here should resonate with her thoughtful customer.
13 June 2013
Yeohlee Teng's label is inspiring in its efficiency. The designer, who has long taken a zero-waste approach to fashion, was keen to point out that her Fall show left a very small carbon footprint. Staged at a vacant storefront located directly across the street from the Yeohlee flagship/design studio, today's small-scale runway production had a no-frills integrity that complemented the clothes, which were all produced just a block away in the Garment Center. Sustainability is a top priority for Teng, who is committed to using up all the leftover fabrics she has acquired over the years. She described her new collection as "quite the textile mashup."Teng proposed key pieces here more than complete outfits. Menswear-inspired jerkins were styled in a variety of ways, while a pleated tartan skirt gave off a punky vibe. There were a few kooky moments, too. A green mohair jumper with awkward gathers at the hem looked like something a quirky substitute art teacher would wear. On the other hand, the finale number—a blood-orange-colored silk slip cut on the bias—was a clear winner. It captured a certain ease and freedom of movement that Teng continually strives to achieve.
10 February 2013
Yeohlee Teng had schoolgirls (and boys) on her mind when designing pre-fall. "It veers toward uniforms," she said, referring to a pleated, plaid knee-length skirt and a silk tie blouse. The plaid, a recycled fabric, also appeared on a jerkin (a vest that doubled as a jacket) and on a borrowed-from-the-boys shirt worn with a cropped pants suit.In order to maintain the sustainability ethos and zero-waste manufacturing ethos associated with her label, Yeohlee said she designs backward. "I know my clients, so I create pieces that will allow them to build on their wardrobes," she said. "That just makes sense to me." A pencil skirt constructed out of two pieces of rectangular fabric may require a little thinking outside of the box, but a persimmon wool coat with intricate seaming would serve the Yeohlee customer well, as would a long "road warrior" vest with strong shoulders done in a recycled wool.
10 January 2013
Yeohlee Teng is an avowed conservationist, so sustainability is key to her work ethos. "We recycle our paper, we pick up our pins," the designer said at today's low-key presentation in her Garment District store. In keeping with that spirit, Spring's clothes were made, in part, from vintage stock and fabric ends. For Teng, a practice like that is just common sense. There was a logical bent to her designs, too. The last dress out, a linen trapeze with three tiers of white silk satin organdy flags acting as an overlay, was based on a mathematical equation. The width of the rectangles led to the dimension of the yoke, which…well, we're sure the math adds up.Although math and geometries were inspirational here—Andrew Geller's double-diamond Pearlroth House in the Hamptons was another reference point—the clothes were light and airy. They floated away from the body and looked, as Teng intended, like pieces that would last.
10 September 2012