This year’s lack of red-carpet events hasn’t stopped the Greta Constantine woman from showing up in all the right places. Last week, as she announced the Academy Award nominees, Priyanka Chopra donned a tiered cocktail frock by designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong in a shade of sapphire blue that contrasted nicely with her husband Nick Jonas’s gold tux. Likewise, Viola Davis—one of the names atop Chopra’s list of Oscar nominees—turned heads at the Critics Choice Awards in a turquoise gown with strategically placed ruffles from the duo’s spring collection.
The most poignant of these appearances may have been on youth poet Amanda Gorman, who opted for canary yellow Greta Constantine for her highly publicized Time magazine cover. It’s rare for any fashion label to be featured prominently on the front page of a publication focused on hard news, not clothes, but the fact that the placement came as a surprise was the cherry on top. “Our press officer told us that they had used it for the magazine but didn’t say what it was for, so we just thought it was an editorial,” shared Pickersgill via Zoom. “I didn’t believe it until we had a tangible copy, [but] once we saw that it had made the cover, it felt historic. It was such a proud moment for the brand.”
Timely too. February marked Greta Constantine’s 15th anniversary, and to celebrate, Pickersgill and Wong wanted to honor all the people who’ve helped the brand along its journey. “Our goals have happened, and our dream has happened—now it’s just time to move forward and build the brand even further,” said Pickersgill. History was the collection’s focus. The green, black, and gold color scheme of several looks nodded to Pickersgill and Wong’s Jamaican heritage. Vintage hits, like asymmetrical gowns that revealed a flash of leg, were remixed in brilliant shades of gold or paired with metallic boots to amplify their bling factor.
You don’t have to be campaigning for an Oscar to wear Pickersgill and Wong’s creations, but they placed the awards-season fare front and center, doubling down on the flowing trains and structured flounces of fabric that have become signatures of the brand. Though they’re committed to avoiding loungewear, lightweight separates with soft textures served as their version of a rainy-day look. Of course, given their extroverted clientele, their ball gowns might prove more versatile than anyone expects. “I was at a friend’s for dinner, and it was just the two of us, but she was in this magnificent ball gown,” says Pickersgill. “She was like, ‘I have all these clothes, why not wear them?’ I thought that was such a great idea, and I’ve seen a lot of people begin to embrace that.” Case in point: Just last week Cynthia Erivo was spotted lounging around at home in a button-down blouse and one of Greta Constantine’s golden ball skirts.
