We were at Carriageworks waiting for the Karla Spetic show to start, experiencing the normal cacophony of sounds and happenings that are standard in fashion shows around the world—people chatting with each other, people being photographed—when a man’s voice could suddenly be heard through the speakers, announcing he would be guiding the crowd through a breathwork exercise. As he walked up and down the runway inviting guests to take full deep nasal breaths and inviting them to identify their emotions, the classic sounds of meditation music filled the room. The audience complied.
This writer never thought she would see people trying to center themselves—eyes closed, rhythmic breathing—in the middle of fashion week. And then the show began and a model walked out in what looked to be a wool twill bikini top and matching mini-skirt with a sheer ruched layer underneath. Above the hip-slung skirt, a white lace waistband was visible. The show progressed with Spetic’s signature suits, this time tie-dyed for a trippy effect. Otherwise, the prevailing silhouette certainly had a bit of a hippie vibe with gauzy pants worn underneath gauzy skirts.
“I recently went through this sort of spiritual journey with healing modalities and really wanted to convey that through the collection,” she said backstage after the show. T-shirts emblazoned with cosmic journey images and bits of wellness and inspirational poetry that were created with Chat GPT. A gold pinstriped shift dress read WHEN STARS BREAK, BEAUTY BEGINS. “I like special fabrics, I like shiny things, I like textural things like velvet, so I felt that it could really work well with this collection because we’re all stars,” she said. The final model walked out in a sober (for Spetic) black suit, and on the soundtrack birds started chirping. The journey had ended.
