ANYTIME [en-ee-tahym]

Elfi Seidel writes a poetic story on Rad Hourani's fall/winter 2011 show.

15 february 2011, new york city.
4°, 11 am. hi here, hi there, a ruffled fashion crowd, unloading their excitement into note pads and iphones.

it becomes quiet in the vibrant hall,
magical moment in the lincoln center.
rad hourani’s show begins –
a slap with a cold, dainty-fingered hand.
no time, no date anymore.
sore, sublime. existential, eternal.
one look after another passes the catwalk,
a sleek mix of severe outlines,
elegant gazelles, their moves of mathematical precision.
chunky heels on the slick catwalk remind of a
massive ticking clock – time goes by.
rad hourani has created
a merciless fashion clockwork,
the models in the dresses insignificant
components of the machine - unvulnerable powerful fashion figures.

rooted in nothing, anticipating the future – the fashion of hourani cuts the air like a fashion scalpel and opens visions of a coming world.
twice a year, men’s and women’s wear come under the knife of the jordanian-born designer, assembling a vision of discreet chic, detachedness, anonymity.
an idea exceeding the dimensions of mere clothing.
blacks, silvers, whites, subtextual allusions to human shape overwhelm the audience, at least those loving geometric forms, sharp outlines, creating a fashion staccato.

systematic refusal of colours, a mix of luxurious materials and silhouettes give a taste of a purified visual world, a pure no- background culture without style dictates.
the designer envisions a place to live in and shape by ourselves.
created only through the individual observations of each and everyone.

‘modern classics for anti-conformists, genuine freedom, so elegant’,
whispers an extravagantly dressed old lady with huge glasses and a fur coat in the front row to her neighbour, who is dressed in a business suit.
‘was that a boy or a girl?’ he asks back, slightly startled.
the last outfits disappear from the runway as minutely detailed as they have shown up.
three, two, one, over.

seats are being left, coats being put on, normality returns. the impression of a strong fashion vision remains in the air.

Elfi Seidel, originally form Bonn, Germany, studies International Fashion & Branding at AMFI in Amsterdam. She loves making graphic and editorial designs.