We stepped of the elevator eager to view designer Emma Gage’s buzzy MELKE AW 2024 presentation that was taking place on the 10th floor of Gary’s Loft, the location of hit movies such as “Begin Again” (2013), starting Keira Knightly & Marc Ruffalo. Upon entering, one of the models immediately invited us to a scavenger hunt to find the clues to “find the cheese”, that rested inside a glass dome held by another of the models on the other side of the loft. She was dressed in a wide lapel Green & Navy check jacket accessorized with a Pink choker, on which hung plastic balls & small chunks of Yellowmake-believe cheese – right in line with the collection’s theme, “The Heist”.
The collection drew inspiration from Gage’s favorite childhood movie characters, “Wallace and Gromit”, a British animated Claymation comedy franchise created by Nick Park & produced by Aardman Animations, set in the 1950’s in Wigan, a mill town in Manchester. The series revolves around Wallace, the cheese-loving inventor, and Gromit, his clever beagle endowed with human qualities. Much of the duo’s communications is accomplished through facial expressions & body language as was the case at this fashion presentation.
Her uniquely unapologetically exuberant vision (consists) of seriously unhinged luxury collectibles with unrestrained love for the planet and its people.
– Emma Gage, designer of Melke
As for the designer, Emma Gage is the two-time winner of the YMA Fashion Scholarship & the Kate Spade & Company Scholarship. Her aesthetic is a marriage of genderfluidity & slow fashion. Her website (www.melkenyc.com) describes her aesthetic as follows. “Her uniquely unapologetically exuberant vision (consists) of seriously unhinged luxury collectibles with unrestrained love for the planet and its people.”
The presentation was broken down into seven vignettes, some featuring a single model, (our guide/hostess referenced above), & some a grouping of 2 or 3 engaged in a homey activity such as card playing, ironing, reading or knitting. Lest this sound boring, it was not. Stylist Cara Benevenia, hair lead Britt Dion & Michelle Webb & her team at Aveda did a bang-up job styling the models & giving them dramatic Pink & Teal eye makeup & messy updos. The models looked cartoon & period appropriate, as if they belonged on the streets of Wignan, relaxing at home after a long shift working at the mills. A few of the models were bundled up against the cold, in Gage’s take on the classic Irish fisherman sweater paired with long plaid skirts or trousers.
In the cardplaying vignette, a model wore a Cream blouse with voluminous Russian Cossack sleeves with a matching wide necktie worn & Oatmeal men’s wool vest, softened by a side slit black skirt tied at the knee with a pretty Pink bow. By contrast, the cardplayer’s companion wore a flowing Teal coat with wide legged Pink & Red windowpane trousers. While the cut of the coat was masculine, the soft color feminized it. The most overtly feminine look was modeled by a pixie haired mode positioned next to the cheese prize, wearing a Black jacket accessorized with Pink beads positioned on the nipples & a pretty pair of Pink pants tied with an oversized pussy cat bow. The Pink bow also found its way on her companion’s Black jacket, this time in the form of large Pink hand crocheted bows accessorizing the front & back of her shorter jacket. All the looks were grounded with heavy unisex Doc Martens footwear.
Clothes aside, the biggest buzz was in the bathroom, where a cluster of influencers including Caroline Vazzana (@cvazzana) gamely posed dressed in Melke posed around the old-fashioned clawfoot bathtub to the delight of the crowd. Perhaps the statement being made is that in these days where social media rules, the audience is just if not more important than the fashion being viewed.
As the show notes stated, “From traveling to the moon for cheese, stealing a diamond, at the end of the day, they always return to the comforts of home for a hot cup of tea and a delectable slice of cheese.” The cozy British vibe was accentuated by the quaint tea bar, provided by Harney & Sons, the tea maker of choice Stateside.
– Vivian Kelly @thefashionhistorian
