Mark Kenly Domino Tan’s spring 2023 show was presented in the sparkling white interior of the Nikolaj Contemporary Arts Center. The organ was the room’s only reminder that the space was once a holy one, St. Nicholas Church. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Tan’s collection had a touch of the divine; it could be read as a homily on elegance.
The opening look, a crisp white cotton underdress and pinstripe overskirt with tassels that hung from the pointed hems of both, introduced the themes of asymmetry and layering. For Tan, layering is a way to create a lasting wardrobe as it allows you to combine what you have in new ways. Later in the show, a tie-on apron skirt hit at the thigh and fell into a beautiful drape over a shirt dress.
Tan says he is preoccupied with “the relation between clothes and the body,” and has been exploring having more space between the two, or what the Japanese call Ma. A two button coat with a fringe hem is an example of this. The back is open except for two straps which create a shape like that of the kanji symbol for sun. According to the website Unique Japan, Ma is a combination of the symbols for sun and “a door that is open to light, thus enabling growth, sparking creativity, permitting freedom.” It’s a beautiful and optimistic concept.
The designer also worked with a certain type of Japanese kimono sleeve in order to “merge [an] everyday kind of feeling with the kimono traditions.” Some of these were paired with Tan’s perfectly tailored suits (he worked for many years as a tailor for Christian Dior). Bolero jackets and pleated trousers with suspender straps that reached the breastbone brought the eye up. The bold chokers had the same effect.
It’s funny, I first mistook the geode necklace in look one for a Victorian portrait choker. On further thought the geode might in some strange way serve as a kind of portrait of Tan’s work, which gets at the essence of design through a respect for craft.
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