Need Fashion Inspo? Open Your Fridge
Critics became foodies, and models became plates that only served looks this past NYFW. Fashion houses AREA and Puppets and Puppets pulled inspiration from the kitchen for their collections. Even in their similarities, these two shows contrasted in the construction and implementation of food in their shows.
AREA gives any onlooker the feast of viewing pleasure in their Spring Summer 2023 catwalk. The show has a visually enthusiastic start, as an avant-garde interpretation of a halter neck and mini skirt take to the runway. Both parts of this piece, the top, and bottom, are constructed from larger-than-life bananas colored in varying gradients of hot and millennial pink with hints of white, lilac, and a muted version of cobalt blue. The tip of the banana stem and the bottom cap off the colors in a silvery metallic finality. The only other accessory paired with this opener is a pair of ankle heels covered in hot pink feathers stretching down to the shoe's open toe –the sides are open. This look alone sets the tone for the following two looks of the show, as elements of this color scheme are seen on a cropped blazer paired with high-cut denim underwear and a mini denim dress with a tailing train.
As more of the collection is shown, motifs of bananas and watermelons appear more frequently on the runway. A deconstructsilhouette of a maxi bodycon dress made of overlapping banana skins exposes the model’s flesh underneath. Another look akin to this appears: a pale yellow banana skin top with a neckline resembling a cowl neck paired with a mini skirt constructed in the same layering technique and lined with black sequins. Progressively, the ripening and rotting of these tasteful garments is witnessed with the choice of color. The first signal of this is a sickly yellow suit dress paired with a headband sprouting flies, “flying” up and down as the model walks. A sheer sequined magenta lace gown, followed by a bralette and mini skirt set made of the same material, are littered in flared-out fuschia feathers. With a finality to cement the oncoming second half of the show, a black lace catsuit passes by. No longer restrained to highlighting details on the garments, black begins to seep into the main colors of the designs. The final looks of the show become a resplendent display of a fruitful death –the only color scheme seen is black and gold.
On the contrary, the Puppets and Puppets Fall 2023 collection begins with this dark look. Trading in gold and pink for red and black, the show maintains a provocative energy all throughout. On the runway, piles of food like french toast are intently arranged on checkerboard flooring. The show opens with a sensually edgy sheer midi dress, the bust decorated with resin roses –the dress itself held up by a web of black glass beads. From this point, most of the collections' looks have either one of these elements: sheer, resin objects, beading, or all three. The consistency of these materials is toyed with in how they are addressed. Most of the more tailored looks, specifically the blazers, have an exposed pink sheer corset midriff contrasting the dark gray of the suit ensembles they’re a part of. Littered throughout, resin-fried eggs serve as nipple covers in more risque gowns that rely more on the model’s bodice.
For most of the show, elements typically reserved for more sultry looks, like exposed bodices, midriffs, and high leg slits, are used time and time again. But the playfulness of cookies on furry mini purses, fried eggs and roses on bralettes, more fried eggs serving as nipple covers, and freshly cracked ones on pointed heels balance this out to create a fun and daring collection.
Ultimately, the looks in these collections had different takes on what should be done with the leftovers in your fridge. Still, both brands executed it in a way so imaginably brilliant. Some of the looks in the shows mirrored one another, such as food being draped on models' bodies —AREA’s runway using it as the exposed flesh of fruit, and Puppet and Puppet’s use of it as garnishes to the visual meal of their designs. An active play on the fun of sexy with a foodie’s approach to design makes both these collections refined in taste.
Strike Out,
Alyssa Quarrie
Boca Raton
Alyssa Quarrie is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. When she’s not losing herself in another book, she’s working out with friends, looking for flights, and thrifting her wallet away. You can reach her at alyssaquarrie@gmail.com
