Tough chick meets jock on Alexander Wang runway at NY Fashion Week

Alexander Wang’s girl gets a crush on the jock

NEW YORK — OK, so it’s not a conventional a love story, but the Alexander Wang tough-chick muse has found herself a jock. On the runway Saturday, that plot thickened into sweatshirt-leather combos that surely will be considered among the most trendsetting looks at New York Fashion Week.

Wang, who earlier this year was named by the Council of Fashion Designers of America as its award-winning emerging womenswear designer, is considered a bellwether in terms of where style is going. The message for spring was softer than last season, but his girl clearly still has an edge.

On her time, she wears a lace-up, cognac-colored corset attached to a gray, rainy-Sunday sweatshirt and oversized army-green capes with a bra top underneath. That athletic influence creeps into her look with a varsity sweater, quilted leather baseball shorts and a skintight black referee dress with white trim.

A hint of Asian influence was seen in obi belts and some kimono-style sleeves.

Stephanie Solomon, fashion director at Bloomindale’s, took note of the Japanese influences in the spring collections previewed so far this week.

The bare-belly tops that have emerged as a popular look on the runways were well represented here — some skirts had the midriff cut out — but Wang did offer most of those outfits with sweaters or some sort of jacket. There was plenty of skin, though, with super-short shorts and see-through tinsel dresses that served as his finale.

Remember, Wang hangs out with a lot of model types (Erin Wasson and Devon Aoki, as well as actress Rachel McAdams, sat in the front row) so his point of reference is a long, lean creature who thinks nothing of wearing boyshort underwear with a “power netting” dress, with cutouts, no less.

But there were wearable items for a broader audience, including a super luxe, layered leather jacket.

A hint of Asian influence was seen in obi belts and some kimono-style sleeves.

Stephanie Solomon, fashion director at Bloomindale’s took note of the Japanese influences in the spring collections previewed so far this week. It makes for “intelligent” clothes that aren’t too edgy, nor too frivolous, she said.