Maisie Wilen FW 21: An Elegant Acid Trip
Maisie Wilen’s models transported her fashion through a multi-decade cultivation of silhouettes, patterns, and materials down a liquid “catwalk”, as a soundtrack of murmurs replicated the whispers of an admiring audience in a pre-COVID world. The collection features a mix of fabrics, layered to create retro-futuristic looks. Against the background of an enclosing pastel aquamarine curtain, this collection immediately gives off an unconventional and trend-defying energy. Wilen decided to focus on pastel and bold neon colors, creating a war for attention on what captures the eye first.
The show delivered eye-catching designs printed digitally onto silhouettes that both promote and reject the idea of comfort. The collection also featured body-hugging dresses, skintight catsuits, 80’s-emulating skirt and blazer sets with modernist color blocking, and trippy geometric yet fluid patterns that have quickly become a signature. The finale made for a magnificent hodge-podge of whimsy, grounded in wearable colors and styles. The collection was rooted in the idea of rebuking and responding to the comfort craved by the customers, making quarantine comfort work for the going-out girl. In this collection, the duality comes from the ability to wear these pieces at home or post-quarantine, when parties call. The innovative patterns, layering, and color scheme paired with familiar silhouettes and materials made this collection a melting pot of inspiration, with a distinct vision of grandiose wearability.
Strike Out,
Writer: Eden McClave
Florida Atlantic University
