10 September 2022 |
At No Sesso, Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph were feeling scandalous. The CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund finalists left little to the imagination yesterday proposing a new kind of sex-appeal for SS23. Taking a provocative approach to dressing, the collection was conceptualised for a “sexy summer”, according to the pair – though a darker mood than ever before prevailed. Painted with maroon hues, ambers, blacks and caramels, cycling shorts sat under G-strings, skin-tight mid-riff tops were paired with spiky rottweiler-like chokers and structured pieces boasted backless, butt-less treatments. Elsewhere, ruched nylon pants with asymmetric pockets felt contemporarily cool and an ebony dress had delicate knife pleats crawling up one thigh for a seductive touch. Permeated by utilitarian details, a wealth of cargo pockets and layered drawstrings were married to tough denim trousers in a collaboration with Levis.
In Italian, No Sesso translates to “sex/no gender”, so of course, the bombardment of Black bodies that came stampeding down the runway were not confined to any kind of binary or societal standard. Instead, an array of strangely constructed cropped jackets – sans sleeves – single-sided trousers and low-slung unitard zoot suits appeared alongside itty bitty bralettes and teeny tiny thongs on a variety of different bodies.
Though the collection was experimental and innovative, the design duo seem to be moving away from the homespun one-of-kind designs that propelled them into the limelight, opting for something rather mature and refined instead.
Photography courtesy of No Sesso.
