Played out on a set three levels underground, Khalid Qasimi showed a collection that had toughened up since last season while still retaining his signature romantic optimism.
“It’s today’s vision of what’s going to happen next because we’re all questioning what will happen next,” said Qasimi. “None of us know what will happen next socially, culturally.”
He sent his urban nomads on an exploratory trip to the near future, where they were turned out in boxy shirts, rounded bomber jackets, cargo pants and some gorgeous coats in olive, navy and plum cashmere wool.
Qasimi Men's Fall 2019
33 Photos
The notion of protection, an essential in the uncharted future, was explored through biker padding, which looked lovely in the subtle elbow panels on white shirts and in the ruched belts secured by nylon webbing, and in layering experiments in looks like the cropped jacket in deep grape wool worn over a black hoodie and paired with a pair of neon yellow silk track pants.
Other hits included many-pocketed flak jackets or roomy biker styles done out in shiny nylon or stiff cotton, and a padded biker jacket that had “Searching for the Unknown” embroidered in Arabic calligraphy on the back that was worn with matching nylon sweatpants.
A navy sweatshirt bore a fortifying slogan that read “Ne Pas Plier S.V.P.” (translation: Do Not Bend, S’il Vous Plait), while Qasimi showed his romantic side through a sheer navy organza shirt that showed a chunky silver chain glittering beneath and in prints on shirts and jacket backs of portraits by Mel Odom, whose retrospective opens at New York’s Daniel Cooney Fine Art this week.