Yang Li commissioned 20 kites from master craftspeople in Szechuan to act as a backdrop to a Shang Xia collection that continued and elevated last season’s exploration of flight. Their canopies were printed with designs from this collection, and their spars were fashioned from either bamboo or carbon fiber: That conversation between the traditionally meaningful and the technologically progressive is emblematic of Li’s approach.
Li has a knack for creating garments that appear substantial and strong while feeling light and fluid. His three-piece smocking-detail convertible trench in satin and long shirt and pants in cotton voile with enameled, jewelry-inspired fastening were strong examples of that. The smocking theme ran through to little bolero-style high tabards designed to be not-quite outerwear and a petal-hem dress that was smocked at the top and skirted in double-face satin.
Topcoats were vertically bisected by lines in color or knit panels that reflected the spine-supporting struts of the Ming-inspired furniture Shang Xia produces. Transparent dresses came layered over gold-laminate printed skirts. Symbols characterizing prosperity and longevity plus the blue rose decoration were drawn from Li’s Chinese upbringing. His edgier, indie side was reflected in tough bubble-sole boots, a fierce qipao mini, and the modularity of garments that could be combined to signal genteel propriety or a punkier attitude. The crescent-moon-opening house clutch was presented in a new smocked leather iteration; other accessories included some exquisitely realistic ronghua flower ornaments in silk and metal. Enamel-heeled shoes whose uppers were inset into teacup porcelain were pretty and spoke to the breadth of the world Li is working to create with this transnationally unique luxury brand.
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