Heatherette Goes to Oz

I have always struggled to understand why certain designers present us with inherently unwearable, wacky collections. I understand their need as artists to play with volume, color, and texture, but I wonder how this works from a business point of view. Almost every job that exists requires the cooperation of the consumers. How can a designer make money off of pricey clothing that no one will buy?

While I remain confused as to the answer to this question, Heatherette's fall collection makes more sense to me. Yes, it's undeniably zany and has few pieces that I could picture someone actually wearing, but I can see why something inspired by The Wizard of Oz would have to be that way. TWoO is a story of a girls life turned completely upside down, a story of her life twisted into a crazed world where her neighbor is a wicked witch, lions can talk, and everything is in technicolor. When you think of it that way, the collection makes sense. After all, what represents Oz better than a myriad of colors and textures, models and celebrities, music and dance? Why shouldn't a delicate pale yellow dress be paired with metallic bondage straps? Why shouldn't space-age suits share the runway with vintage-look bags? Sure, it's twisted and loud and hard to wrap your mind around, but I appreciate that. Dorothy must have felt the same way when she first set eyes on Munchkin Land.

I am probably overly obsessed with The Wizard of Oz.