Anais Mak came up with the title “Tropical Melancholia” to encapsulate what she sees as Hong Kong’s “tumultuous political climate and youthful rebellion.” As a young local attuned to the push and pull of her city, she likely felt the urge to channel this through her first Pre-Fall collection, which she grouped into four movements representing female protagonists with their own style and self-expression. The narrative was a tad convoluted, especially since the clothes held their own. Mak has a girlish-to-grownup vision that translates attractively whether on an off-shoulder crop-top with short shorts, or a floor-grazing, bias-cut skirt striped with fringed metallic trim. Her instinct for contrasting details is strong, such that rows of studs did not look out of place on a preppy gingham shirtdress and striped varsity bands proved a surprisingly welcome foil for both Lurex t-shirts and dense yak hair knits. This also applied to her bi-material ’50s circle dresses—as much a signature as any—making jaunty matches from different silk organza patterns.
With crushed velvet so ubiquitous for Fall, her jewel-toned plaid version is a fun outlier, seemingly combining two grunge trends into one. In line with her polished positioning, it appeared as a skirt gathered up the center, harem pants, and a dropped-waist flounced dress—all day-to-night alternatives to default black. As a quilted perfecto, it may or may not have been commenting on the collection’s theme, but you probably won’t find a statement like this anywhere else.
