MTV’s early Aughts hit “The Hills” may be over, but now we have “The Collinas.”
For fall, designer Hillary Taymour and director Charlie Engman made a short film that was a send-up of reality TV, starring Tommy Dorfman, who heads to New York for the opportunity of a lifetime: an internship at Collina Strada.
On her first day of work, she has trouble using a steamer, brings a pastrami sandwich for lunch (“You are eating fear,” her coworker gasps), and uses a disposable cup instead of a eco-friendly water bottle. Hilarity ensues, with Collina’s community of models and supporters playing roles, dressed in the new collection, of course, and “The Hills”‘s Whitney Port even making a cameo.
“We made this to give a little joy,” said Taymour, after pulling an all-nighter to finish, explaining that they made the film in just two days, and filmed some scenes in mere minutes. Would she do another episode? “Ask me tomorrow,” she laughed.
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From the cast of characters on screen and in the seats, it’s obvious that Taymour has created an enviable community around her sustainable, joyful print-astic brand.
This season, she offered even more points of entry, with puffer jackets; party dresses with upcycled organza petals (“not feathers, which are gross,” said the animal-loving designer), and punk rock belts with pleated skirts attached. “You can wear them over pants, a dress or with nothing at all.”
With Collina Strada, one is free to be.
Now that Taymour is in the groove of mixing fashion and entertainment, creating a 3D, playable climate change video game for GucciFest in 2020, and animorphing Jeremy O. Harris, model Aaron Philip and others in a series of videos last year, what will she do next? “A lot of energy went into this and I feel good about that, but now I have to think of the next thing. It’s no pressure at all.”