It took approximately an hour for Christian Cowan’s off-schedule show to start. Between his VIP guests including Sam Smith, Kesha, Cole Escola, and King Princess getting photographed and Anna Delvey and a few of the Real Housewives doing social media interviews, it was certainly a chaotic start. The chaos didn’t end there: The soundtrack was a mashup of every song that inspired the designer, from classical music to TikTok sound bites, switching every 10 seconds. But while it may have been confusing for some of the attendees, for Cowan it was very intentional. “This season is about the clash of influences. It’s meant to feel like a hectic collision of all these ideas I have and is representative of the Gen Z attention span,” he said. “Everything is constantly changing.”
Some of the collection was inspired by his late former colleague Abbie McLaughlin, who had an Isabella Blow–like taste in fashion. Other parts were influenced by a television show in Britain that the designer grew up with called Art Attack, which taught kids how to draw and paint. The show began with a chewing gum–inspired dress that Cowan bit into pieces of silicone to mimic the real deal. There was also color-blocked polka-dot detailing on corsets and blazers, and high heels that, instead of being worn as shoes, covered each breast so they mimicked a top. Cowan even had his version of a naked dress, but unlike Bianca Censori’s internet-breaking number at the Grammys, his covered all that needed to be covered while still revealing the most.
The 30-piece collection came to an end with avant-garde feathered looks, which were a hit among the Real Housewives crowd, who immediately pointed to Bronwyn Newport of the Salt Lake City franchise (known for her extravagant looks) when the finale showstopper—a skintight patent leather dress with peacock-like pink feathers circling the model like a ring—walked down the runway. While to the average fashion enthusiast, this might appear excessive and extravagant, it was clear from the show that there is a niche market of fans who love what Cowan is doing.
