A burst of color set the playful and animated mood in Hayley Elsaesser’s Fall/Winter 2017 presentation. Elsaesser, clad in a long, bright coat and neon blue hair, reflected her own collection. Outgoing, fun and personable, Elsaesser said in an interview that her collection celebrated nostalgia. Avidly playing with My Little Pony toys when she was younger served as her inspiration for her work.

“It’s kind of just drawing back to my childhood and the reality for me at that time with the whole colorful, playful, childish, kind of feeling, and then taking them to the modern day fashion collection,” Esaesser said.  

And she was successful in her endeavor. Hearts, lockets, rainbows and the surge of bold, neon colors made her collection everything she intended. Set against a pink backdrop with upbeat, old school ’90s music playing in the background – the collection of men’s and women’s clothing was a step back into one’s childhood.

Models wore all the colors of the rainbow – pinks, blues, purples, oranges and greens. One stand-out piece was an orange, long-sleeved dress with rainbows printed all over it. With a hint of sparkle in the texture and paired with a thick, blue choker, the whole ensemble screamed light and carefree happiness.

The clothing wasn’t the only thing that was colorful. Wearing what appeared like very little face makeup, the models’ eyeshadow took it to the next level. Each model had a crazy, colorful neon eyeshadow combination. Blue and pink eye shadow were paired together, as were green and purple and other bold matches. The hair was uniform – each model had a number of different colors throughout his or her hair including green, blue, orange, pink and purple galore. The female models each had long, cat-like tips on their nails, coordinating with the color scheme.

Elsaesser achieved her intended effect. Her collection was young and playful, and she showed how this blissful, childlike view of the world doesn’t have to dissipate with age – even in the world of high fashion.

Email Caroline Zemsky at [email protected].