Rad Hourani’s All-Black Army Marches on For Fall

We already told you that Canadian-born designer Rad Hourani, with his sleek, austere aesthetic (mostly blacks with the occasional kick of color thrown in) and unisex philosophy, would be one to watch this year. And his fall '09 show proved to be just as epic as expected, with an all-black army of cool girls and guys marching out in a series of his trademark deconstructed pants with latticed tops and draped jackets. Gradually, there were all-navy ensembles and then all-gray, as well as glimmers of silver and metallic black adding new life to a formula that's hard to beat as it is. "I'm not creating clothes that are conceptual or artistic, but clothes that have a mysterious approach to it," Hourani said backstage after the show, amidst all the hubbub of well-wishers and friends. And indeed, those threads of silver peeking out from the slashes in a pair of black pants are strangely provocative, and, in his words, "completely sensual in a modern way." Consider it the post-postmodern idea of sexy.