Calvin Luo is missing the real thing. For fall 2021, his 10th collection, he was hoping to present an in-person show in Shanghai, but the constantly changing restrictions made it impossible. To evoke the togetherness and drama of physical shows, he presented fall in three parts: runway, backstage, and front row. The first two required a photographer and videographer to capture models wearing his latest collection. The latter proved more ambitious: Over the course of three months, Luo sent his collection to 100 women, from musician Yaoke Zhao to model Cici Xiang, and asked that they style themselves in the garments and pose for photos that would be rendered into a virtual front row. The fact that 100 women would even agree to such a project—and that each looks comfortable and like herself in Luo’s clothing—is a testament to both his strength as a designer and his warmth as a collaborator and friend.
As for the garments, they are some of Luo’s strongest. He gave up flashy complications and a strict theme in favor of rethinking signatures from his five years in business. Proper jackets with metal fastenings are worn with pleated midiskirts; organza camp shirts with embroidered orange blurs are paired with chic long shorts; and double-strap tanks are layered with plaid A-line skirts. Even at its most playful—yes, there are dramatic feather gowns—the collection speaks to a tasteful reservedness. The small flecks of joy, like a color-blocked rose and green jacket or the feathers that trim a pastel pink skirtsuit, feel in step with the mood of early 2021: cautiously optimistic. Luo is smart to deliver something not too over the top but still with simple pleasures.
