Anyone who walked into the Grand Hall of the Kimmel Center for University Life on Monday, April 21, would have felt the electric transition from the monotonous, fluorescently lit wooden interior into a cavernous chamber draped in red curtains and pristine white carpeting. The lavish room buzzed with suspense in anticipation of the university’s most immaculately dressed students walking down the runway for NYU Program Board’s second annual fashion show.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race’s” Dawn opened the show, strutting in while lip-syncing Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” to crashing applause and whoops. After warming up the crowd with some well-timed jokes, Dawn interviewed some of the best-dressed students in the audience wearing looks inspired by the “office siren” aesthetic — a style that melds business-chic silhouettes like blazers and pencil skirts with an alternative edge through smoky makeup, bold jewelry and metal-frame glasses.
Gallatin junior Anthony Offiah’s designs started the show with a bang, with looks centered around blocky patterns of black, whites and reds, simultaneously softened by silky, flowy fabrics. The designer’s closing look stood out from the rest: a full-blown ballgown in soft, earthy shades of pink and red, accentuated by a cutout halter top and a red claw nestled on the model’s head.
Following the flourish of Offiah’s ballgown, Tisch first-year Emma Wang captured the crowd with a series of dresses that she designed for herself throughout her high school years, many of which she wore to proms and her own concerts. Varying from mini to maxi in length, these dresses gave a coquettish yet sexy allure, with their different shades of reds and the confident, seductive struts of the collection’s models.
The show took a turn from punk and rock-and-roll to ethereal with Gallatin senior Natalie Choi’s designs, which showcased a cascade of whites and silvers. Choi’s designs consisted of a wide range of unconventional materials and textures in unconventional shapes, from a puffy, one-shoulder midi dress laden with fabric to the designer’s own look — an opaque plastic top, an asymmetrical ruffled skirt and a neck piece resembling the extended petals of a flower.
Gallatin junior Zenya Bindra gave the show a cultural twist: simple yet elegant floor-length two-piece dresses in South Asian-inspired patterns and colors. Models went barefoot and were adorned with glittering jewelry such as gold nose rings and chains. With these designs, Bindra emphasized to the audience “how culture can empower someone, and how someone can be in tune with their culture.”
The closing designer, Gallatin senior Caroline Glass, wowed the crowd with simplistic black pieces reflective of corporate America. The designs revolved around halter tops, corset details, clean-cut trousers and staggeringly sharp heels. The last look of the night was a strapless, form-fitting black dress with strategically placed buttons screaming sheer elegance.
“[This show] was so much work — I think it took five years off my life, but it was so worth it,” divulged Juno Kim, a Steinhardt sophomore who is the arts committee chair and fashion show director. “Seeing all these people I really admire, in beautiful outfits… seeing them light up with joy, it just means so much. I’m really confident in how [the fashion show] is going to come out next year. It’s just going to grow bigger and bigger.”
Contact Ivanka Sun at [email protected].
