The original motive behind United Bamboo, the 7-year-old line from Miho Aoki and Thuy Pham, was to interpret preppy American classics through the perspective of an arch observer. It s an obsession they ve never truly abandoned, but now, there are broader influences thrown into the mix. For instance, Pham names Le Corbusier s design of the Indian city Chandigarh as their current fixation, and the architect s drawings were featured on patchwork tees. Pham s quick to add, however, that "nothing is literal," which neatly sums up the appeal of the line.
With their typical sweetened cynicism, the show opened with a white tennis dress subverted with vibrant zippers—some functional, others not—which, along with buckles, were a recurring motif. That summer Kennebunk favorite, seersucker, was toughened up and turned into a motorcycle jacket, and its slightly brawny vibe was present throughout (particularly with the creepers—reworked with flat, pointy soles—which were big crowd-pleasers). A bibbed tuxedo-style shirtdress with a dropped hem was a nod to the Gatsby era and was equal parts masculine and feminine. These hard/soft, greaser/soc contrasts were most successful in the first half of the show. Later, the African and ribbon-latticed dresses seemed overly decorative and diverted from Aoki and Pham s real strength: seditious versions of country club classics.
