Adam Selman Fall 2018 Ready-To-Wear....Fashionweekly...On Fow24news.com

Always ready with a playful wink and a nudge, Adam Selman outdid himself with his unabashed ode to ’80s haute-camp. It came off particularly kinky, even by ’80s standards, perhaps a nod to the surreal style of Guy Bourdin or to the clever satirists at Toilet Paper......
But no, in fact those cheeky illustrations and their fluorescent hues were based on the work of Cheyco Leidmann. As a whole, the collection was a tribute to the spandex-loving photographer and his eternally flame-haired muse, Ypsitylla Von Nazareth.

Selman had been poring over the now-collectible photo books Foxy Lady and Banana Split that the two produced back in the glam-is-good decade. He wanted to collaborate with them on the prints in the show as a way of acknowledging their lasting influence. (Good news from Selman: the two are very much still at it, kicking around Miami’s more colorful corners.) And he cited another reference, Paper Moon Graphics, illustrators of visually ironic, sexually suggestive greeting cards from the same era. Combined, they made for a madcap runway romp that alternated between amorous pop imagery and not-yet-forgotten ’80s froth, as in prom-like mini-dresses with puff shoulders, oversized blazers with a zipper down the center back, and bright faux fur galore. Shoes came as flat boots or daring thigh-highs fit for a dominatrix.

Fun, bold, ever-so-sordid was the aim here. Upon closer inspection, one shirt bore an allover print of a girl salaciously straddling a giant banana. Selman said he was most enamored with a tiger print, which he rendered as a wrap tank dress, loose V-neck knits, and seductive off-the-shoulder numbers. A sexy sheer version of that print stalked the runway as a sharp-shouldered and cinched trench. And, denim’s biggest fan, Selman couldn't have a show without that most provocative of materials — well, after vinyl, and there appeared to be some of that, too.