VLOV – QingQing Wu Spring 2012 – New York Fashion Week Review

Chinese designers have come and gone to the New York collections with mixed results.  Cabbeen, the first to show at New York Fashion Week, has quietly maintained a menswear boutique in Manhattan’s Chinatown after his 2007 runway debut.  Hong Kong’s Chocheng used his Fashion Week appearances as the catalyst for a chic Madison Avenue womenswear boutique.  And women’s brand Omnialuo, though without a namesake store in the Big Apple, still remains omnipresent with stores all across China.

It’s difficult to tell where latest import QingQing Wu falls within this landscape.  Wu, a two-time winner of the “Top Ten Fashion Designer Award” at China Fashion Week, brought his VLOV men’s label to the Spring 2012 collections.  While he offered something that his countrymen in previous seasons did not – wearable menswear with very subtle cuts in a nod to his Chinese roots – his clothing may not be unique or distinct enough for discerning New Yorkers.  His collection of mostly monochromatic pieces such as long blazers and dress shirts with diagonal closures could have used more variety instead of prompting the question, “Where have I seen that before?”

Photo Gallery: VLOV – QingQing Wu Spring 2012