Amid the Chaos, Fashion Week Offers Hope
Graphic by Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez
Is it just me, or has nothing made sense recently? The haze of ambiguity seems to have all started after the November election. Still, I held on to reason, sorting the world's chaos into logical components. Joan Didion’s famous line in “The White Album” rang true: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”
Then came the new year, and any semblance of narrative threads disappeared. Nothing made sense. Donald Trump’s inauguration was utterly bizarre: Lauren Sánchez’s lacey bra under her low-cut blazer, Melania Trump’s gargantuan hat and a worrying intoxicated performance by Billy Ray Cyrus. Not to mention the whirlwind of executive orders and the rising threat of deportations nationwide.
Yet, during the ongoing madness, Men’s Fashion Week found footing across the Atlantic. From Milan to Paris, it was hard to ignore the context of American politics and rising conservatism woven into the clothes. Already, designers seemingly embraced the second Trump administration with open arms. American fashion house Oscar de la Renta posted two of Second Lady Usha Vance’s custom looks to Instagram and designer Adam Lippes publicly defended dressing Melania. Custom looks for the Trump family were unheard of during his first administration, with the family often having to buy off the rack, so what changed?
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Staging its show the day before the inauguration and early on in the fashion week calendar, Prada predicted and seized the moment's confusion. Models wore tapered, cropped pants over cowboy boots, resulting in the boots' shaft oddly protruding under the pant hem. There were other logical inconsistencies, such as a puffer jacket layered over another puffer jacket and knits worn under knits. The show also used a surprising amount of fur, albeit fake, lining coat hoods and lapels. Visually, the fur was stunning, but it begged the question about ethics. How can fur looks suddenly be back in vogue? The fur echoed the outcry over Schiaperreli’s fake animal-head dresses from 2023. The same goes for the skinny models and tight clothes that suddenly seem to be back in style – maybe having something to do with the accessibility of Ozempic.
The dissonant time warp at Prada felt appropriate. The clothes recalled the 2010s but were not stuck in the past. Mrs. Prada and Simons still grounded viewers in the present, reflecting on the messy, patchworked and nonsensical feelings of now.
Courtesy of Vogue
American fashion designer Willy Chavarria’s debut Paris show was another highlight. Chavarria’s designs are steeped in his Mexican American heritage. The collection featured boxy tailoring, exciting plays on traditional Chanel tweed jackets and a parade of oiled hunks in tracksuits.
The Chavarria show felt like an anachronism belonging to a time when the industry cared about personal identity and storytelling – if it ever did. It brings to mind Demna Gvasalia’s early days at Vetements or the waking dream of Virgil Abloh’s ascent to Louis Vuitton. Chavarria presented true creativity and purity that feels incredibly rare in fashion collections today.
Notably, Chavarria was one of the few designers to explicitly comment on politics. During the bows, Chavarria wore a t-shirt with “How We Love Is Who We Are” printed across the front. The crewneck version, made in collaboration with Tinder and the Human Rights Campaign, is already sold out online. The show ended with an audio clip of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s viral plea as Chavrria powerfully led his community of models off the runway.
Courtesy of Vogue
Comme des Garçons Homme Plus similarly met the moment. The collection, titled “To hell with war,” offered mish-mashed garments and complex proportions typical of Rei Kawakubo but adapted to the increasingly violent times.
Models wore army helmets adorned with ribbons and flowers. The typical structured military uniforms were intensified with infinite rows of buttons and epaulets dripping off all sides of the garment. Even the shoes were atypical, with boots with an upended toebox that looked like the model had crashed into a wall.
Kawakubo consistently offers the most ideologically complex clothes each season, often with garments that look like they are eating themselves or having a visible identity crisis. This season was no different, bravely facing the international conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza head-on. The collection offers no simple answers; there is no tacky adage like “Make love, not war.” Rather, Kawakubo suggests a uniform for the coming resistance and an abolishment of the status quo.
Courtesy of Vogue
Alessandro Michele’s first Valentino couture collection offered a coda to the cognitive dissonance rampant during Men’s Fashion Week. Michele, known for his maximalism and logo mania that defined Gucci, once again proved his commitment to artistry.
The breathtaking 48-look collection presented confectionary gowns rife with historical codes and shapes. The dresses had floor-sweeping skirts and Marie Antoinette-like panniers. Each look had embroidery and lace with a texture that could be felt through the Vogue Runway images.
The collection’s historical references never felt dated, remixed with polka dots and modern ostentatious floral patterns. Sure, there is a reverence for the past, but it is not without forward-looking enthusiasm.
Courtesy of Vogue
As is often true for Michele, the collection is a reminder of true beauty, only achievable through craft and steadfast vision. The Valentino collection felt like a baptism compared to the recent mundane, conservative looks in the mainstream. Compare any of the Valentino gowns to Ivanka in Dior or the slew of other uninteresting and, therefore, offensive LVMH-backed Trump family looks. The Arnault family, which owns LVMH, attended the inauguration. Funnily enough, Valentino is partially owned by the competing luxury conglomerate Kering.
Courtesy of Dior Carlos Barria/ Reuters
Only a month into the second Trump administration, things will only become more insane with time. Fashion seems like an easy way out, often too focused on escapism and only accessible to those who can afford a $1,000 sweater.
Fashion does have merit, even if only viewable through images and social media. It is important to think of fashion as a craft and a tradition to realize that its beauty persists even in the darkest times. From the gowns of the 18th century reinterpreted by Michele to the ultra-modern menswear by Mrs. Prada and Simons, truly good clothes are a reminder of the past and a bridge to the future we deserve. No amount of destruction and hate can take the perseverance innate in us all.