No Sesso’s powerfully personal references for AW22.
Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph titled their show “The Girls With Dolphin Earrings,” a reference to the instantly recognizable piece of jewelry that emerged in the Seventies as a favorite among Black women and is now a symbol of their strength. “The earrings represent Black culture and any Black girl who wears them feels empowered, sexy, and special,” read the show notes.
The fashion was indeed powerful, a lineup of impressive, intricately wrought clothes with a major commercial element – the debut of No Sesso’s collaboration with Levi’s. The designers initiated this important partnership with gusto. Almost half of the collection featured some denim, which Davis and Randolph worked to a fare-thee-well, blowing up proportions, detailing rounded jackets with corsetry lacing and adding all sorts of zippered, pocketed interest to pants, while de- and reconstructing the classics into new, inventive configurations. And Levi’s wasn’t the only mega brand on view; Air Force 1’s, anyone?
Beyond the denim, the designers showed a broad range of looks indicative of a journey from innocence to maturity: upcycled, patched-together knits with a schoolgirl vibe; giant sweatshirts; goddess gowns with a modernist superhero twist; breast-baring lingerie pieces and a dash of bondage. While the designers kept some shapes simple, many featured intricacies of construction, such as a horizontally quilted puffer coat fused to a pinstriped blazer. The show ended on a stunner: a diaphanous brown jeweled gown with endless train.
The collection was clearly steeped in references to Black culture. Notes that arrived post-show explained that the designers explored how love of God and human love and sex powerfully impact the lives of Black women. Hence, that progression from innocent to sensual. The notes provided a layer of deeper understanding to those who might have missed the complete context in real time (this white critic among them). Still, the show was plenty compelling all on its own, filled with smart, interesting, beautiful clothes.
The missive noted, too, that the show’s subtext reflected a “retelling” of Davis’s and Randolph’s own stories, as each grew up in a religious household. In that sense, their creative process recalled that of Alexander McQueen, who often drew from deeply personal places for his remarkable runway reveries. (And, like McQueen’s work, these pieces held up to scrutiny whether or not one did the reading). It’s moving to see designers of a different generation coming from a very different cultural perspective similarly harness their personal experiences with such honesty and emotion.
