On Friday night time, Hillary Taymour gathered a few of New York Metropolis’s most stylish and colorfully-dressed in a Chelsea studio to show a group that encapsulates and empowers femininity in all of its kinds. An edgier vitality than we’re used to seeing from Collina Strada, the label’s Fall/Winter 2025 vary is aptly entitled “Fempire,” targeted on the thread that weaves the ladies who got here earlier than us to those that will come after us, juxtaposing the current’s less-than loveable realities with a fond look to a extra fluid and free-spirited future.
The primary phrases of the present notes learn: “Matriarchy, Gynecocracy, Queen-dom, Her-archy, She-volution…” These set the tone completely for the presentation of clothes that strut down the all-white runway, with King Princess, Ella Elmhoff, Cole Sprouse, Regulation Roach and Dove Cameron within the entrance row.
Nevertheless, Taymour needs us to step out from that minimalistic room she has us sitting in – which was preceded by an open “playroom” the place youngsters donned mini Collina garments and freely performed with their toys and coloured.
“Because the Doomsday Clock ticks a second nearer to midnight, we dream of turning an upside-down world on its head,” the present notes proceed, with Taymour inviting us to “Think about a world the place energy strikes sideways and care is forex. A world that doesn’t simply reverse outdated norms however rewrites the script fully—conserving what works, reconfiguring the remaining. Think about a world the place unruly femininity, queerness, and incapacity aren’t embattled however emphatically embraced. The place what has been dismissed as extreme or unfit for the mainstream is precisely what shapes the longer term.”
In sourcing for “Fempire,” Taymour hit up a bunch of New Jersey thrift shops for heirloom marriage ceremony attire, reimagining by way of the Collina lens, “honoring the ladies who got here earlier than us by adapting their legacy to the current.” Two brides – one in all whom dons the latest Collina Strada x PUMA Mostro collaboration – stroll the runway and cease mid-way for a marriage kiss.
A holistic illustration of womanhood, basic Collina chiffons, silks and satins collide with extra heavyweight wool and corduroy coating and outerwear – with all items emphasizing the fluidity of motion. Layering and draping are accomplished with magnificence, as are textural mixtures, with lace lined up in opposition to denim and ruffles operating right down to the footwear. Whereas the gathering takes a darker colorway than typical, there are nonetheless pops of patterning in plaid, leopard-print and tartan tops and trousers in addition to floral detailing imbued in pastel pants and organza skirting.
“Till then, we brace for the current. We go well with up. Protecting gear on, shields and masks up,” the present notes convey us again to the current, which informs the underlying message of the 36 seems to be. “Hiding the tears, turning them into one thing else. Letting our freak flag fly, whereas realizing that generally stealth is survival.”
The primary look down the runway was the “Pillow Coat” full with a large structured hood, whereas a couple of different seems to be incorporate a balaclava on high. Most of the fashions decorate with outsized alien-esque eyewear, whereas a few of those that don’t as an alternative don shielding headwear. A bit paired with a couple of seems to be – together with one of many brides – is a star-shaped head wrap, which pays homage to the underlying message of “Fempire.”
“Femininity is just not a set of directions. It’s a large number of lovely contradictions—fierce and comfortable, darkish and illuminating, non-public and protecting, unapologetically seen and glam. Declare your house as a approach to make room for others. Be the star that you’re.”
Discover Collina Strada’s Fall/Winter 2025 “Fempire” within the runway photographs above and have a look backstage with photographer Sarah Schecker under.
