Fashion Funhouse Emporium

Libertine

This is the second season back for Libertine with Jonhson Hartig flying solo. Harting founded his own line in 2000.  In 2001 after meeting Cindy Greene through mutual friends, she sent him a shirt with graphics. The shirt generated much interest with party-goers. So of course the next step was collaboration. Hartig reconstructed the clothes while Greene did the silk-screen prints. The duo soon found themselves the new cool kids of design with write-ups in everything from Domino and Time to Vogue both American and International editions.  The CFDA finalists snagged one of Target's first designer collaborations and the high-end line was sold in elite department stores around the world.  In 2009, Greene left to pursue other creative endeavors. After a brief hiatus, Hartig's vision of Libertine is selling in stores like Bergdorf Goodman and Harvey Nichols after a crowd pleasing Fall 2011 color graphic collection.

Colors: Black, white, cream, ivory, blue

Materials: Recycled

Loved Looks:

View full collection on nymag.com

One could argue that since Libertine revamps and alters found clothing that its not fashion design in the traditional sense. Though what is captivating about each look is the placement and the mix of graphics. While some of these re-dos are not for the meek, the pieces are eye candy. It was hard to stop examining as the models passed. Vintage clothing is a canvas for Hartig and the spring presentation was a far more themed and cohesive than those of the past excluding Fall 2011. Only a unique and exclusive clientele has access to the graffiti circle suit and painted silk printed dress. Its worked in the past for Libertine.

Unloved Looks:

For those expecting a completely different collection than Fall 2011 may be disappointed. There were a few people in the front row that didn't crack a smile when the "Tax the Rich More" tee came down the catwalk. I guess the humor depends on which way you lean on the political pendulum.

People, Music and Scene:

Fleetwood Mac remixed to a dance beat played while models did spins, high-fived and danced down the runway. And they had smiles. Models were smiling, people! Drinks were served in this low key Exit Art venue courtesy of Skyy Vodka and Lorenza Rose. Benches surrounded the runway for those of us whose feet needed a rest after hiking all the way to 10th Avenue. This presentation combined the excitement of runway and the no bull aspects of a presentation.

Rating:

Two and a Quarter Karl Lagerfelds out of Four

Libertine struck it big as CFDA finalists in 2004 when the line was designed by both Johnson Hartig and Cindy Greene. The two ventured into several collaborations with other artists such as Goyard, Damien Hirst, Be@rbrick, Muji, and Converse. And of course, there's they were one of the first designers to jump on board with Target.

A look at Libertine's bio page now, and you'll notice there is no mention of Cindy who helped launch the line, she screen printed; he tailored. If you head over to Cindy's site, you see Johnson Hartig mentioned. Greene left to pursue other creative endeavors according to her bio.

So how does Fashion Funhouse Emporium's guy on the town, Jamar, think of the line as a one-man show? Read on.

Materials: Wool, tweeds, painted sequins, metallic brocades.

Colors: Royal blue, black, wine, cream, yellow, fuchsia, orange, red, white, turquoise, and grey

Loved Looks

View full collection on Style.com

The triumphant fashion week return of Libertine was a hyped show that indeed delivered. The brand has  always had it’s cool-hipster points. Now, since it’s a one-man show after a split from co-founder Cindy Greene two years ago, there seems to be a new spirit and mood that Johnson Hartig wanted everyone to be a part of.  Prim and proper proportion, the key to his collection included acid hyper prints over plaids and flannels. Taking inspiration from vintage 60’s shapes (Libertine's first collections started from reworking actual vintage pieces) and a post WWI wood block blown up to the point of distortion. Who would think a chunk of wood led to the beautiful prints that were all over the jackets, coats, tops, dresses, and tights?  After this collection, lets hope that Libertine jumps back on the scene for good.

Unloved Looks

It seems a bit strange to hold on to the label's name "Libertine" since Hartig's rendition has a very different amped atheistic than the oringal line with former founder Cindy Greene. While the collection holds its own, it strays from the very vintage designs that put them on the map. Johnson Hartig can very well be successful with his own namesake label, as his collection was the most cohesive of all the Libertine collections to date.

People, Scene and Music

The show was held off-site which usually means a more cherry-picked crowd for established designers like Libertine. With Rodarte’s Kate Mulleavy, Thom Browne, Bergdorf's Linda Fargo and Meredith Melling Burke sitting front row, you can tell that Jamar and I weren't the only ones curious about the runway return of the line. Exit Art is usually so out of the way, that only the dedicated show up. The music was your typical runway fare by another DJ with a slick name: Farmer Dave Scher.

Video

No video currently available.

Karl-head Rating

What the hell does this mean? View Fashion Funhouse Emporium's Karl-head rating system!