The Son Jung Wan 2023 Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear collection was a flurry of neon pink, cyan and lavender gowns, mini-dresses and well-coordinated tops and shorts. While the veteran New York Fashion Week designer elevated the pieces in her latest collection to fashion’s ever-changing landscape, Son Jung Wan maintained her creative independence.

Son, one of South Korea’s leading designers, has seen her pieces featured in a number of popular Korean dramas. Her garments are typically worn by actresses of the ingénue type, showing her innate ability to capture youthful femininity.

The first piece to grace the runway, a double-toned purple and yellow holographic dress, would have found itself at home in Son’s past collections. Stitched florals and blanketed textures transformed solid hues. As the stream of models continued, the clothing shifted into striped and polka-dotted patterns with neon green, yellow and pink accents.

Of the featured looks, one where the model was wearing a deep purple puffed sleeve button up with a bow at the bottom, a wrapped ballet-style skirt in a similar purple shade and sheer white socks with platform shoes seemed to encapsulate the playful and youthful style Son has come to be known for.

All models were nearly bare-faced in a “no makeup-makeup” look. All female models wore high heels or platform heels. Hairstyles sprayed in a fashion reminiscent of the ’80s featured traditionally voluminous straight and long hair. Male models were few and far between but made the rare appearance dressed in shorts and a top. They wore identical white sandals complemented by white nail polish.

The pieces contained traces of Son’s past styles, with one look partnering a featherlike sequined black fabric with white stripe details. The black-and-white color-blocked pieces were interspersed with candy-striped dresses. Varied fabrics from leather to silk transformed the otherwise basic reds and whites.

While some designers have a chameleon-like habit of transforming their collections to fit the current era, Son has shown that she can reinvent her use of textures and colors while staying true to her style and not losing her distinct flair to current trends.

Contact Lieko Dadaille at [email protected].