Inside the venue at Elysée Montmartre, the benches were arranged like church pews, facing an all white backdrop. As you are showed to your seat, one of the press attaché’s hand you a box containing sweets. Upon closer examination, it is revealed that the box is actually a dollhouse representation of Wooyoungmi’s newly opened boutique at 44 rue Vieille du Temple!

So, as you nibble the munchies, you find yourself biting on the ‘dressing room’ or the ‘counter.’ It’s an innovative way to introduce a boutique, and believe me, you will remember the store simply because you ate it!

By the time you had your fill of the munchies, the music start, yet the spotlights were still off. Your eyes are drawn to the two white backdrops in front, as two dancers perform behind the white curtain. It was a play on light and shadow, similar to the children’s version of the cinema.

Then the first model came out wearing a top hat, double-breasted suit and pleated trousers. It was classical tailoring up to the 4-buttons on the sleeves. So, you begin to wonder if this is going to be a show of Savile Row tailoring.

But, Wooyoungmi changes the tempo, sending a model wearing a double-breasted coat with the sleeves rolled up to the crook of the arm and wearing elasticized cotton knit pants! By then you knew that Wooyoungmi is in her top form as the exits that followed are innovative takes on men’s clothing.

There was the double-breasted suit jacket with 10-buttons forming a V, the sleeves rolled halfway to reveal shirt cuffs that are actually part of the jacket. Then, there is six-button double-breasted white suit jacket with t-shirt sleeves sewn on top of sleeve jacket.

Oversized vests become shirts, and hoodies made of very light, almost transparent nylon were turned into raincoats. Cardigan twin sets added a more formal flair, but the collection stayed within the fashion-forward with a romantic futuristic twist theme.

Wooyoungmi’s very distinctive vision of menswear has garnered a cult following that is slowly becoming mainstream as her style become more polished every season. The subtle drama that played while the catwalk show was going on is also an example of how her presentation style had matured through the years.

Wooyoungmi is a showman in the making. But, then again, when you attend a Wooyoungmi show, you go there for the inventive and imaginative silhouettes. The drama is just gravy, the bread and butter is the collection.