On Monday night, Christian Cowan presented a colorful show that combined his resort and spring collections on the runway. His reason to show both — simply, why not?
“A lot of the pieces are made for showing off — a video or a photo doesn’t show what it’s like in real life. For instance, that red custom-printed sequined and feathered gown, I wanted people to soak up the details,” he said backstage.
“My main thing this season in terms of inspo was the color palette is everything. I’m over monochromatic looks, I think it’s not intelligent design, it’s all I ever used to do. I wanted it to be a fearless color mashup,” Cowan explained.
The designer debuted a three-style shoe collaboration with Crocs — bubble gum pink sandals, platform clogs and mismatched black and white classic clogs, all with eccentric detachable charms that could also be worn as necklaces and hair clips. The designer pushed the collaboration’s idea into his ready-to-wear with little leather looks to match.
The look: High-personality fashions.
Quote of note: “Every time, we try to take one step further into what we can achieve and do. It was taking inspiration from my Spanish family with the flamenco-y hats and the boots. And then, also, not just having party dresses, but things that give you the oomph.”
Key pieces: For spring — novelty denim, like rainbow-ombre jeans or little blue jackets and skirts with heart-shaped pockets (which Cowan noted is just a preview of his denim world to come); a cropped, sequined striped polo with leopard print mini and matching rhinestone Western waist belt; a golden babydoll dress with pleated skirt; oversize, colorful fur and feathered chubby jackets; plenty of revealing party dresses, micro miniskirts and dynamic gowns, which were ultra-fun with all-over sequins; a debut lineup of in-house metallic footwear.
The takeaway: “Showy” is a great way to describe the designer’s party-minded, youthful collections, which his customers eat up. Daringly short minidresses and skirts, skin-revealing separates and body-hugging silhouettes with ample sequins, feathers and drama are his go-tos and were expanded upon in sassy daywear for spring.
