In an industry that’s as dangerously fast as it can be monotonous, designer Alejandro Gomez Palomo knows little about remaining within the boundaries of the norm.
The Spanish label is bringing cult-like fairy tales to the world’s biggest fashion weeks, creating clothes that are informed equally by the designer’s small-town roots and a creative perspective that’s unapologetically queer.
The designer presented his latest offering at the iconic Plaza Hotel’s Terrace Room — surrounded by gilded walls, gold-trimmed mirrors, massive hanging chandeliers, and roses galore.
“Finally I get to do a show in a grand space. I don’t know how I always managed to show in like a square white box in New York, and I really wanted to bring color into a place where I’m more used to showing my things, like I would do in Paris or Madrid. So I felt the Plaza would be the place,” said Palomo post-show.
He is a champion of genderless fashion and creating a world where his silhouettes of provocative and enchanting garments embrace feminine and masculine undertones in a seamless manner. With mainly male models, and a few women, the lineup fused sexual and dark themes with softness and romance — seen on pieces such as feather-trimmed camisoles, and sheer lace tanks embroidered with oversized roses in red and cream. Denim was also a key focus with daring numbers such as denim shorts with peekaboo cutouts in the back paired with lace bloomers and high-neck dresses, or baggy denim often paired with baby-doll dresses and flowing capes in delicate fabrics like silk. There were corsets aplenty in new interpretations (some very exaggerated in proportions and even in leather). The accessories enlivened the lineup with elaborate rose chokers, ear cuffs, and rose shaped bags in red and black ranging from clutch-sized to the oversized sculptural, done in collaboration with the Spanish-based brand Bimba y Lola.
For Palomo, a sense of decadence and the ethereal are the components that keep the brand’s fan base wanting more.
