Remember the MySpace Top 8? We've got our own with today's runway roundup, where eight moments show the latest thread in emerging American fashion. With brand new designers and old-school favorites, yesterday's standout styles were a little bit techno (still) and a little bit cottagecore (still!), but somehow more joyful than we thought possible in the dead of winter, in the dead of a pandemic. Read on for proof that creative crash-and-learn moments are still very much alive. Let's get into it!
Anna Sui
I am dead and my ghost is writing this squeal of a recap for Anna Sui, who took her eternal "crush" on the mod British rock show Ready Steady Go! and turned it into a collection that blends neon houndstooth, sequin go-go skirts, and massive dad sweaters / stomp boots / decal pins that you can grab from a thrift store in a pinch. Pay special attention to the green and blue coat, which will last you for years, and the models—a streak of ingenues including Cristina Piccone, Eden Joi, Evie Harris, Sherry Shi, and Meadow Walker—who all seem poised to be Next Big Things.
Colin Locascio
Colin Locascio does not care about being cool; he cares about being awesome. Enter his Fall 2022 collection, which pays tribute to "bridge and tunnel icons" like The Sopranos' Adriana and America Ferrera's Ugly Betty with "weird" (read: great) olive-and-aqua color combos and piecework strips of leather, shearling, and sequin mesh. This is a blast of a collection, and it takes Mr. Locascio from club clothes territory into something (gasp) for the coolest kids of all: grown-ups.
Vanessa Hong @ Peter Do
According to her IG bio, Vanessa Hong is a "Connector. Collaborator. Seeker." She is also a warrior for putting metal clips across her scalp during ten degree weather, all in the name of fashion. (Is this when I'm supposed to call it "fa-shun"? Please advise.) Do's clothes were sublime, and you can read all about them in Alison Cohn's upcoming review. Meanwhile, this style choice held its own, even with New York's hottest collection on the runway.
Gabriela Hearst
"In the past, androgyny was a privilege of deities, angels, holy rulers, and their lovers," writes the designer in her show notes. Androgyny was also the privilege of thin bodies, at least in fashion, where the buzzword was often just a euphemism for "designer who won't (or let's be real, lacks the skill to) accommodate female curves." Hearst blasts through that limitation with pieces built for a range of shapes and proportions, and she does it without losing sight of who she stands for. (Namely, investment pieces ethically manufactured with carefully picked materials.) You don't need me to tell you this stuff is very, very good.
Adeam
Designer Hanako Maeda says her 10th anniversary collection for Adeam "takes inspiration from the iconic musical Into the Woods." As a certified theater kid, I can't quite see The Witch and The Baker's Wife belting out Sondheim in these techno-prep fall outfits, but I do admire the multi-function smarts of this quilted jacket-coat-vest-sleeve-thingy. At least my closet will live happily ever after, huh?
Rentrayage
New clothes are fun. Trashed clothes are harming the environment and contributing to the death of our planet. Erin Beatty is trying to make a dent—and show the rest of the industry you can make $$$ and behave responsibly at the same time!—with Rentrayage. The label sources deadstock fabric from Italy and America, then remakes it into elevated staples that we'd buy regardless of their (pristine) planetary pedigree. I'm imagining the jeans on the right with a cropped tuxedo blazer and stilettos and falling deeply in love.
Interior
There's great stuff happening at Interior, the buzzy new line created by Lily Miesmer and Jack Miner, and frankly poised to skyrocket. With hand-painted suiting in thoughtful cinched shapes, the pair are making clothes you want, but can't already buy elsewhere—and likely won't be able to score at Zara either, thanks to the intricate tailoring. The pair staged their show at one of their local haunts—Waverly Inn, the low-key celebrity hangout in New York's West Village—and had their models snacking on fries and sipping wine while twirling in netted black gowns and red fringe tube dresses. A pack of cigarettes accessorized one look, a martini another; one model had a full t-bone steak at her station. "I can't wait until everybody leaves so I can eat everything," Miesmer said. "We're so proud of this collection, but making something you care about is hard! I'm so hungry." Yes, but also, please deliver the wide-leg pants to go.
Gogo Graham
The last stop on the fashion train was Gogo Graham, the "apocalypse wow" designer from Texas whose canny textile manipulations show incredible skill, whose materials include an admirable amount of recycled tees, and whose club kid styling has echoes of past rave cave artists like Dr. Noki and Gareth Pugh. Euphoria darling Hunter Schafer closed the show, and even though it was outdoors in icy Brooklyn, the crowd left with a warm fuzzy feeling. (And the odd realization that, with new teddy bear bags at Anna Sui, HEAVEN by Marc Jacobs, and now GGG, stuffies are about to get much more expensive.)
