Lights, camera, action! The missing energy of NYFW was back in a big way yesterday evening—household name models, an editor-filled front row, and random runway props whose purpose would soon become clear once the music kicked in—thanks to Christian Siriano. At his favorite venue, Gotham Hall, a small, socially-distanced audience gathered to once again feel what has been missing in the absence of traditional fashion shows.
While he did endeavor to host a physical show last season too, Siriano has also been craving a return to real life. Thus, his most recent offering was inspired by a whole other world altogether; a preferable reality that he dreamed up recently while visiting his family in Aspen, Colorado for the first time in a year. One thing’s for sure, in this realm, you won’t find the type of stay-at-home clothes we’re sick to the teeth of hearing about.
Rather, Siriano sought to replicate a place high up in the mountains, rooted in a psychedelic alternate reality, inhabited by a colony of his favorite models: Coco Rocha, Martha Hunt, Candice Huffine, Teddy Quinlivan, Lauren Chan, to name a few. He outfitted them for “hidden parties” and “cocktail hours” in this dystopian society: full, tulle gowns with sheer details, hooded ceremonial-style capes, silk evening dresses in highlighter, sunset, and rainbow hues, and luxe snowy cream and chocolate brown coverups…Aspen was the starting point, after all! The only question that remains? How do we secure our invite to one of these gatherings?
“This collection is a reflection of what I think fashion would be in this fantasy world, and how my customers would decide to dress,” the red carpet set-adored designer said in his show notes. “I hope this collection shows that fashion remains a powerful dreamlike world that can be actual reality if we let it happen, despite the circumstances.”
And speaking of us mere mortals and the future of fashion, the former Project Runway star linked up with resale platform ThredUp to source some of his own gently used items from seasons past, which were woven in to this new runway collection seamlessly, in a major move towards circular fashion. It marks a first at New York Fashion Week, but unlike the many unprecedented protocols that we’ve experienced this season and last, we do hope this ‘new normal’ sticks around.
See the full collection below: